AliousCrystal Palace appears to be losing ground in their pursuit of Emile Smith Rowe, a player reportedly highly desired by manager Oliver Glasner.
While the club has made progress in negotiations for Ismaila Sarr, agreeing personal terms as they continue discussions with Marseille, Smith Rowe seems to be slipping away.
Fulham has apparently overtaken Palace in the race for Smith Rowe’s signature.
Palace had submitted a bid for the Arsenal midfielder, which was rejected, but chose not to increase their offer.
The asking price is rumored to be around £35 million.
However, this development might actually benefit Palace.
Smith Rowe has a concerning injury history, missing 132 games over the past five seasons due to various health issues.
This track record is reminiscent of Mamadou Sakho, a previous Palace signing who, despite his talent, struggled with frequent injuries during his time at the club.
Given Smith Rowe’s injury proneness, spending a club-record fee on him would be a significant risk.
His lack of consistent availability could severely limit his impact under Glasner’s management.
The article suggests that Palace may have inadvertently avoided a potentially costly mistake.
It recommends that the club should now focus on more reliable transfer targets, hoping Fulham finalizes the Smith Rowe deal quickly so Palace can move on to other options.
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