In January, Roy Hodgson is itching to bring in a new striker.
Currently ranked 14th in the Premier League, Crystal Palace has had a somewhat uneven season.
The only teams in the league with fewer goals scored than Roy Hodgson’s team are Burnley and Sheffield United.
Thus, this month, the former England manager intends to address that issue by bringing in a new center forward.
Crystal Palace transfers latest – Borja Mayoral
Crystal Palace is reportedly keeping a watch on Getafe’s Borja Mayoral, according to TEAMtalk.
The Eagles could attempt to sign the Spaniard this January, with the move far from impossible.
It is rumoured that a fee of around £20m would be enough to secure his services this month.
Borja Mayoral’s style of play
It is commonly known that Palace will make an effort to sign a center forward this month, with Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal being their primary target.
Ben Jacobs, a football journalist, attested to the Eagles’ genuine interest in him and their potential £30 million deal. The transfer guru did, however, also say that the Gunners won’t allow the 24-year-old depart unless they find a worthy successor.
Given that the drama is likely to end that way, Palace may decide to focus more on Mayoral and disregard Nketiah, as the former is a more realistic and achievable goal.
The Real Madrid youth star has been on fire this season in La Liga, netting 12 goals in 19 matches, with only Jude Bellingham scoring more in the division. The striker played a vital role in Getafe’s survival last season, and he has been instrumental in the side’s climb up to eighth this campaign.
The table below displays Mayoral’s statistics from this La Liga season and how he compares to his positional peers.
| Mayoral’s 2023/24 La Liga Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats (per 90) | Mayoral | Percentile |
| Goals | 0.71 | Top 9% |
| xG | 0.52 | Top 28% |
| Shots total | 1.96 | Bottom 80% |
| Goals/shot | 0.24 | Top 12% |
| Passes completed | 17.77 | Top 18% |
| Progressive passes | 2.78 | Top 12% |
| Passes into final third | 1.90 | Top 9% |
| Stats via FBref | ||
Mayoral has featured in the front two of a 4-4-2 this season, and his output in front of goal has been terrific. His goals-per-game ratio is superb, and he is a clinical “finisher,” as per footballer writer Ben Mattinson, which is highlighted by his low shots, goal/shot ratio, and overperformance of xG.
This is the exact profile that Palace have been missing this season, as the Spaniard has netted more than Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard combined (eight).
The ex-Roma player is also an intelligent striker who can drop into pockets in between the opposition midfield and defence to pick up the ball. His relatively high passes completed prove that, while his progressive passes and passes into the final third show that he has the ability to start attacks as well as finish them.
Overall, Mayoral is exactly what Palace needs, and he’s even outperformed Nketiah by seven goals this season. Hodgson should definitely look to bring the Getafe star in before another Premier League club snaps him up.
