Crystal Palace is looking at signing a new defender.
The 27-year-old appeared to be at the pinnacle of his abilities…
According to recent rumours, Crystal Palace are considering signing an in-demand “versatile” new player in the New Year.
This summer, Crystal Palace signed who?
The Eagles and Roy Hodgson were very quiet in the summer transfer market, bringing in only four new players. Matheus Franca and Dean Henderson were signed for large prices from Flamengo and Manchester United, respectively, while Rob Holding arrived late in the window from Arsenal and Jefferson Lerma joined on a free transfer after leaving Bournemouth.
Palace have had a relatively good start to the season, picking up eight points from their opening six Premier League games. Chairman Steve Parish and sports director Dougie Freedman, on the other hand, appear to have their sights set on the January transfer window, and a new target has surfaced at Selhurst Park.
TEAMtalk reports that Crystal Palace is one of five Premier League clubs interested in signing Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko.
Along with the Eagles, Burnley, Everton, Sheffield United, and West Ham United are all interested in the Ukraine international, whose representatives are looking into potential possibilities ahead of the 2024 season.
Who exactly is Mykola Matviyenko?
Matviyenko can play anywhere in the back four, but he is primarily a central defender who has made 175 appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk after rising through their youth system.
Should the trade go through, the left-footed defender would provide lots of variety to Hodgson’s backline, which has been noted in the media.
Following reports of a move to Brighton, journalist Andrew Todos praised Matviyenko as a “versatile” player who “can be world-class when he plays in a formation with three defenders,” emphasizing his pace and ball-playing skill as some of his primary assets.
“Matviyenko is a composed and experienced center-back who exudes confidence, especially when playing with younger teammates.” Because he began his career as a full-back, he has greater speed than the usual centre-back, which helps him a lot in recovery struggles.
“He rarely goes in for wild tackles that could result in bookings or penalties, and blocking crosses or goalbound shots is one of his main strengths.” He can also play balls over the top and out from the back, and he is quite adaptable.
“In my opinion, he can be world-class when he plays in a three-defender formation.” If he plays in a back four, he should be paired with a tall defender who can assist him. He’s a good centre-back, but his finest matches came when he was in a back three and played next to wing-backs.”
The 27-year-old appears to be in his prime, with a Transfermarkt estimate of €20 million – the highest of his career – and a move to England appears to be a possibility.
Whether or not that will be at Selhurst Park remains to be seen, but a move in which Matviyenko may wind up competing with the likes of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen might be one to watch in the coming months.
