Former French international and Arsenal star, Mathieu Flamini, has reportedly attracted interest from Premier League outsiders Crystal Palace. Flamini’s contract with Arsenal was not renewed by coach Wenger following the rather disappointing second-place finish of the Gunners last season. Flamini is well-known in the footballing world for his successful spells at Marseille, Arsenal and Milan; surprisingly, no club has ever paid a transfer fee to acquire his services.
Arsenal’s former number 20 and French midfielder has been involved in many transfer stories throughout the transfer window, with teams such as Olympiakos, AS Roma and AC Milan being involved in the chase of the playmaker. However, rather surprisingly, it seems as though Crystal Palace are leading the way towards a potential new big-name signing.
Crystal Palace recently announced their 25-man Premier League squad; however, only 24 players were selected. Even though signings such as Loïc Rémy, Christian Benteke and Steve Mandanda may have improved the squad’s overall ability, the Eagles still have not found the perfect replacement for their captain Mile Jedinak (recently signed by Aston Villa).
They can hardly be blamed for not trying, however. Pardew has missed out on Genoa’s Tomas Rincon, Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko, Everton’s James McCarthy and, most recently, Bournemouth’s Jack Wilshere. After so many attempts to sign a midfielder that could possibly fill in the Jedinak’s shoes, why not have a go at a former Premier League star?
Flamini has starred in sixteen League games for Arsenal last year and was considered a rotation player, Wenger preferring the likes of Coquelin and Cazorla at his position. He still claimed a man of the match award against Tottenham scoring both Arsenal goals in a 2-1 cup thriller. He also played four European games for his side, failing to score from his defensive position however. With that being said, could Mathieu Flamini be a good fit for Pardew’s Crystal Palace?
Source: The Guardian
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