Crystal Palace are set to lose Ebere Eze this summer as clubs circle, now data has shown the ideal replacement is already familiar.
Within Oliver Glasner‘s squad, some crown jewels could soon be up for sale in what promises to be a busy summer.
Fans at Selhurst Park will be desperate to avoid losing too many of the current stars but as interest continues to mount, it is a concern.
Michael Olise has a release clause so could be difficult to retain. Meanwhile, Marc Guehi is wanted by multiple top Premier League sides.
Eberechi Eze is the third and on Wednesday it was reported that Man City are his likeliest destination this coming summer.
With that in mind, we thought it right to look at who the ideal replacement for Eze could be. It turns out, the ideal man is someone Dougie Freedman has already identified.
If a player as special as Eze is to be sold, the hope would be that a player with the potential to be equally as special will be brought in.
When looking at FBRef‘s list of players with similar qualities to Eze, one name ranks top and stands out as a player that Palace bid for in January.
Juventus loanee Matias Soule is the man listed as the ideal replacement for Palace’s 25-year-old wizard. When compared it’s clear to see why the two are linked together with stats almost un-seperateable.
Both are hugely creative, with Soule creating 5.26 shot creating actions per 90, this is more than Eze who creates 4.88 per 90. Soule’s creativity has seen him build up 4.3 expected assists, compared with Eze’s 2.3.
Soule has scored 10 goals this season which is double Eze’s tally of five. The two can be separated by the fact Eze has five from 47 shots which is a significantly worse conversion rate than Soule having 10 from 51 shots.
The 20-year-old Argentine is incredibly progressive and would fit into Glasner’s plans perfectly. He has completed 79 progressive carries and 139 progressive passes this season along with receiving 149 progressive passes which tells us he is excellent at picking up space in advanced areas.
This past winter has seen Soule linked heavily with a move to Palace, with Southampton said to be rivalling the Eagles for his signature.
Interest was substantial, as Palace reportedly even submitted a bid worth £26m to sign the Angel Di-Maria compared winger.
This was ultimately rejected, however, as Juventus already had the youngster on loan at Frosinone in Serie A.
This absolutely feels like a deal that Palace could and should return to this summer to replace Eze if he departs, or even Olise.
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