One player is now desperate to leave Crystal Palace – after he endured a tough 2023/24 campaign.
Other than Wilfried Zaha and his infamous transfer request back in 2019, very few players have actually wanted to leave Selhurst Park in recent years – it seems like an enjoyable place to play football.
Now – however – one player wants out of Crystal Palace…
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi wants to leave Crystal Palace for Southampton
A story from Sky Sports now claims that Jesurun Rak-Sakyi wants to leave Crystal Palace for Southampton.
The Saints are bidding to sign the England U20 international after winning the Championship Play-Off final last season, as Russell Martin aims to prepare his side for Premier League football.
Southampton have already seen a £7m bid rejected for Rak-Sakyi, and also saw an improved £12m offer rebuffed by Crystal Palace, who would ideally like to loan the Londoner out.
However, Sky Sports believe the 21-year-old is determined to join Southampton and be part of Martin’s squad for the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, with talks ongoing between all parties.
Southampton are believed to be preparing a loan deal for Rak-Sakyi, which involves an option to buy him on a permanent basis next summer.
No surprise whatsoever
It would be devastating to lose Rak-Sakyi permanently this summer, although his desire to join Southampton does not surprise us.
After a superb 2022/23 campaign on loan at Charlton, where he scored 15 goals and assisted a further ten in 50 appearances, the Crystal Palace academy graduate hardly got a chance last season.
Roy Hodgson constantly overlooked Rak-Sakyi, and even hauled him off at half-time against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup, before criticising his efforts off the bench against Tottenham when speaking to the media.
The Crystal Palace No.49 then missed 24 Premier League games with a serious hamstring injury, before being left out of the squad for the 5-0 win over Aston Villa on the final day after Oliver Glasner admitted he is well down the pecking order.
Therefore, we can understand if Rak-Sakyi is feeling quite disillusioned at Crystal Palace.
Ideally, a loan move to a Championship side would have been sorted last summer, before Glasner bedded him into the starting XI this summer.
READ MORE: £30m Chelsea player has just rejected an approach from Crystal Palace
Hopefully, Steve Parish, Dougie Freedman and the Austrian can convince Rak-Sakyi to stay, as it would be heartbreaking to lose one of our own to a Premier League rival.
