Why Chelsea FINALLY Turned A Corner.
Naouirou Ahamada is surely feeling quite upset and worried about his future at Crystal Palace after a rumour emerged from Selhurst Park.
According to The Athletic and Sky Sports – among many other reliable outlets – Roy Hodgson is set to stay in SE25 and oversee the 2023/24 campaign, after helping us avoid relegation last term.
Whether you agree with that decision or not, it doesn’t bode well for Naouirou Ahamada.
What’s the story?
Well, the Frenchman arrived at Crystal Palace from VfB Stuttgart in January in a £10.6m deal.
It seemed to be a very exciting signing, with many expecting Ahamada’s fellow countryman Patrick Vieira to develop him into a top talent.
However, the 47-year-old was sacked just weeks after the 21-year-old arrived in south London, and things went downhill from there once Hodgson was appointed.
Ahamada played just one minute of Premier League football under the 75-year-old, which came in the dying stages of the 2022/23 Premier League finale against Nottingham Forest.
In fact, the Marseille-born prospect wasn’t even named in Hodgson’s first seven Premier League squads after he returned to Crystal Palace, with the former England boss preferring to stick to more experienced players such as Luka Milivojevic, Jairo Riedewald, James McArthur and Will Hughes.
Hope for Ahamada at Crystal Palace
While many Crystal Palace fans are doubtful over Ahamada’s future under Hodgson, he has been offered a shred of encouragement.
When asked why he wasn’t selecting the midfielder back in April, Hodgson explained that competition for places was simply too fierce, while conceding that he did think Ahamada was a “very good signing” by Dougie Freedman.
The Croydon-born tactician told London News Online: “The more I see in training, the more I like him. I have seen no reason in these last three games to suddenly tell somebody, you’re out because Ahamada had a good training session yesterday.
“The chances are the guy I say that to says, well, I had a good training session too. That’s because the training has been good with everybody.
“He’s been very good – very supportive. We take him with us to every game because I want him to be around the team. I’m sure it won’t be that long before he starts establishing himself as a player here at Crystal Palace.
“I like the look of him – he looks like a very good signing. There is a lot to come from him.”
With Milivojevic and McArthur now gone, you would like to think that Ahamada will be given more opportunities.
Hopefully, that does turn out to be the case, as he appears to be a very talented prospect who could develop into a key player for us.
