AliousAs Double Gameweek 32 approaches, Crystal Palace players are becoming hot commodities, whether managers are using free transfers or planning a Wildcard.
The Eagles’ schedule adds to their appeal, with a trip to bottom-of-the-table Southampton and a home clash against rivals Brighton and Hove Albion leading up to the double.
While wing-back Daniel Munoz (£5.1m) and striker Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) stand out as obvious choices, the midfield decision between England’s latest scoring sensation Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) and Ismaila Sarr (£5.6m) sparks a lively debate. Let’s dive into the key factors to weigh their value.
Goal-Scoring Potential
Eze’s shot volume immediately catches the eye—he ranks sixth in the league with 83 attempts this season, firing off a shot every 23.2 minutes, a rate that outpaces the five players ahead of him. However, his output tells a different story: just two goals, giving him a conversion rate of 2.4%, second only to Savinho (£6.2m) for inefficiency among scorers in 2024/25.
Here’s how their stats stack up:
Eze: 2 goals, 83 attempts, 35 shots in the box, 21 on target, 7 big chances, 6.12 xG
Sarr: 7 goals, 43 attempts, 38 shots in the box, 24 on target, 17 big chances, 7.81 xG
Eze’s low tally stems from his preference for long-range efforts. Only Cole Palmer (£10.8m) has taken more shots from outside the box (48), but Eze’s speculative approach sacrifices quality for quantity—none of his attempts have registered an xG above 0.27.
Still, his sheer volume has built an xG of 6.12, making him the Premier League’s most notable underperformer (-4.12).
This suggests a potential turnaround could be brewing, especially considering his overperformance in prior seasons: 11 goals (+1.88) and 10 goals (+2.68).
Notably, one of his two goals this term came against Southampton earlier in the campaign.
Sarr, by contrast, trumps Eze in nearly every metric except total shots. His seven goals, 38 shots inside the penalty area, and 7.81 xG reflect a more clinical edge.
Since Gameweek 10, Sarr’s 16 big chances rank him seventh league-wide, surpassing popular picks like Palmer, Chris Wood (£7.3m), and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m). His 24 shots on target even outshine Mateta’s, despite fewer minutes played.
However, Sarr’s scoring pattern frustrates owners—he’s streaky, with three goals across two December games and three more in Palace’s last two outings, but only one assist across nine barren matches in between.
His knack for delivering just as managers lose patience and sell is a familiar tale.
Alious
