Former Crystal Palace midfielder Shaun Derry has urged the London club to make a move for Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the January transfer window.
He believes it would be immense for Palace if they can sign Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea. The 22-year-old impressed on a season-long loan in 2017/18, and Palace tried to sign him in the summer as well.
The highly rated English midfielder wanted to prove himself at his boyhood club under new manager Maurizio Sarri, but he has struggled to make an impact.
The England international has managed only 33 minutes of Premier League action this season, and he is way down the pecking order at the club. There is no guarantee that his situation will improve overnight, which means a loan move away from the club looks more likely.
His form for Palace earned him a place in England’s World Cup squad this summer, and Palace are mooted as a possible destination for him once again in January.
Roy Hodgson, the Palace boss would welcome him heartily, and Derry believes the club should sign him in the January transfer window.
“If the chairman and the football club can attract Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] back, I think it would be one of the biggest transfers in January,” he said, speaking to The Palace Fans’ show on Love Sport Radio this week (h/t Football London).
“He was brilliant last year, he really was.
“I watched him two or three times live, and saw him in the highlights, and I just think he is very graceful in the way that he is such a big, imposing figure on the pitch.
“And you talk about bravery, that boy just wants the ball all the time.
“I just felt that he found a little niche with Roy and the coaching staff last year, so to get him back in January would be immense, but I’m sure there would be three, four or five other clubs wanting him as well.”
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