With Michael Olise’s exit from Crystal Palace expected soon, the hunt for a replacement has been expedited.
For Oliver Glasner, losing Michael Olise is a heavy blow but it comes with a silver lining, that being he has extra funds to see his Eagles side strengthen this coming summer.
Dougie Freedman will be tasked with doing the heavy lifting and deciding who is best suited to fill the rather substantial metaphorical boots of Olise as he heads to Bayern Munich.
With multiple options already being linked, now Crystal Palace have been rumoured to hold an interest in signing a gem from the Championship, which is right in Freedman’s wheelhouse.
Crystal Palace credited with Jack Clarke interest
With replacing Olise now the priority for Crystal Palace, no time is being wasted and the search for the perfect fit has taken Palace to the familiar hunting grounds in the Championship.
After showing interest in Jobe Bellingham earlier this window, the Eagles are now eyeing up his 23-year-old teammate, Jack Clarke, who happens to be a long-term target.
Clarke had a great campaign, scoring 15 goals in the league and now according to GiveMeSport, he’s attracting interest from Premier League clubs.
Wolves are named as the club most interested in the report, however, Palace are also credited with the electric winger.
The Black Cats however aren’t keen on selling him and are set to ask for around £25m to £30m in order to scare off interest.
Clarke was Sunderland’s Player of the Season but is he the quality that Palace need?
Is Clarke good enough to replace Olise?
Formerly of Spurs, Clarke is a very talented footballer, but in terms of being an Olise replacement and costing potentially half what the Frenchman was sold for, this deal isn’t sensible.
Clarke is older than Olise and if ambitions of a European finish are true, it’s hard to see Clarke being the player to bring Palace to that level.
Clarke may complete more take-ons (3.81 per 90 as per FBRef) than Olise (2.82 per 90 as per FBRef), but his all-round gameplay simply isn’t of the required standard to be anything more than a squad player in Glasner’s Palace.
For the price he’d cost, there’s no real argument in favour of signing Clarke, especially when there are several better options for similar or cheaper prices.
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