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Forget it Hodgson – Crystal Palace must avoid signing this 31-year-old box-to-box midfielder at all cost

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Crystal Palace Opinion: Why Hodgson should avoid signing Mohamed Diame

According to a report from the Express, Crystal Palace and Brighton are interested in signing Newcastle United midfielder Mohamed Diame in the summer.

The Senegalese, 31, has been a key part of Rafael Benitez’s side for the last two seasons but is out of contract in the summer. He helped the Toons to the Championship title in 2017, yet the midfielder hasn’t been offered a new contract by the club.

If Mohamed Diame ends up leaving Newcastle, should Crystal Palace snap him up in the summer?

As tempting it may appear, considering Diame will be up for grabs on a free transfer, Palace should definitely avoid signing him.

The Eagles have an array of midfielders in their ranks, with Luka Milivojevic, Max Meyer, Jeffrey Schlupp, James McArthur and Cheikhou Kouyate as options available in the middle of the park for Roy Hodgson.

Milivojevic has established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet and his role as a skipper makes him indispensable to Hodgson. McArthur with his work-rate and energy makes the Eagles tick, while Jeffrey Schlupp adds a different dimension to the team from midfield.

Hodgson snapped up Meyer on a free transfer from Schalke and signed Kouyate from West Ham in the summer. Kouyate has been a disappointment in his first season at Selhurst Park and Meyer hasn’t been able to fill the creative void left by Yohan Cabaye’s departure.

As it’s their first season in Palace colours, patience should be kept with the players as Hodgson hopes to finish the season on a high.

As far as Diame is concerned, he’ll have to compete with the aforementioned midfielders for a regular spot at Palace. The Senegalese is an energetic box-to-box midfielder but he won’t add anything different to the Palace midfield.

Mohamed Diame

Plus, he will turn 32 in June and although the midfielder won’t cost a single penny, the Eagles’ rigid wage structure could have complications later.

Verdict

Hence, Hodgson should avoid signing Diame on a potential free transfer at the end of the season. Diame’s experience could have come handy but the Eagles are already heavily stocked in midfield.

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In fact, the veteran Palace manager must look to address the defence and the attack as the team lacks a reliable centre-half and a prolific goal-scorer.

If Hodgson manages to add a centre-back and a striker, the south Londoners could hope of challenging for a Europa League spot in the 2019/20 campaign.