Following the confirmation of the capture of Jeffery Schlupp by Crystal Palace, Westbromich Albion FC have reasons to regret losing their much coveted player to a Premier League opponent at a fee close to their attempted pay.
Following the confirmation of the capture of Jeffery Schlupp by Crystal Palace, Westbromich Albion FC have reasons to regret losing their much coveted player to a Premier League opponent at a fee close to their attempted pay.
The player has been a sought after player for Albion this term. They even submitted a bid to sign him in last August at a fee of around £11 million but it did not work out.
Being a player with the ability to play anywhere down the left flank and up front, the Ghana international would have brought an additional breath and dynamism to the team. As said by Albion’s coach last week, he has been keen on bringing players with pace, energy and the ability to move the ball with speed.
Schlupp, who has been seeking a move from Leicester city– a club he joined as a 12-year- old –due to limited play-time, has the right attitude to push for a place in a team with the manager, Tony Pulis’ philosophy.
If the report of the £12.5 million fee is anything to go by, then Crystal palace have signed a player at around the same cost (£11 million) Albion were ready to offer in the summer transfer window. At 24, Jeffery Schlupp is a bit younger than a bunch of Albion’s experienced players, he would have probably been a good buy for them with their efforts to recruit younger players and thereby bring down the average age of their squad.
With reports from Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, Schlupp has been left out of the squad, this would have been an opportunity for Albion to strengthen their squad as a lot of their league opponents will lose some key players to the African soccer fiesta. Tony Pulis is now left with options on the left in Chris Brunt, Allan Nyom, James McClean and Bredan Galloway as the second half of the season progresses.