Crystal Palace are now said to be on the verge of signing Krepin Diatta.
A new story from Africa Foot states that the Senegal international is close to sealing a move to Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace opted to hijack Bayer Leverkusen’s pursuit of the free agent.
The 27-year-old has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
Us here at We Are Palace have already profiled Diatta after Ekrem Konur first broke the story on Tuesday, but as the deal seemingly advances, let’s take a closer look at what he could offer Pierre Sage next season.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
Ole Gunnar Solskjær has already told Crystal Palace what can be expected of Krepin Diatta
Some may question why Crystal Palace are sniffing around the free agent market after winning the UEFA Conference League last season, having already signed Oscar Mingueza for nothing.
However, Diatta represents a truly interesting market opportunity.
Speaking ahead of a UEFA Europa League clash between Manchester United and Club Brugge in February 2020, Ole Gunnar Solskjær highlighted the Crystal Palace target as someone his side need to be wary of.
RTL quoted the Norwegian as saying: “When I arrived at Molde, Diatta had just had a trial there. They didn’t take him, but I wonder why. He’s going to play this time and will surely cause us problems because he’s a creative player who tries things no one expects. Something always happens when he has the ball at his feet. Luke (Shaw) better be warned.
“They (Sadio Mane and Diatta) do indeed have the same qualities. They are both fast and unpredictable. In my opinion, Diatta should have the legitimate ambition to one day equal his elder.”
The man born in Dakar is only said to be a free agent right now because Monaco needed to cut costs. At the age of just 27 and with a glowing review like this from Solskjær, he is surely worth a punt for Crystal Palace on a free transfer.
Diatta can play on the left or right of both attack and defence, while he can also boast experience of European football that could help Sage in the UEFA Europa League next term.
The international colleague of Ismaila Sarr has previously made 19 appearances in the UEFA Champions League and 14 in the UEFA Europa League.
Are you worried about our (lack of) transfer activity? 🤔
Of course, the deal could backfire like any, but considering Diatta is available for free and Crystal Palace might play over 60 games in all competitions next season, it is worth the gamble purely to provide Sage with a versatile option for squad depth.
