Crystal Palace have been forced to shelve plans to sign a new striker in the January transfer window.
The Eagles had been targeting a new hitman to help ease the pressure on Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta, however, according to a recent report from Football Insider, Roy Hodgson has had to prioritise a new midfielder after Cheick Doucoure suffered an Achilles injury during November’s 2-1 defeat to Luton Town.
Fearing the midfielder will be out for the remainder of the season (The Guardian), Palace’s need for a replacement needs no explanation.
And although names have not yet been mentioned when it comes to possible targets, with their midfield one of the lightest areas of the squad, Hodgson will know how important it will be to identify a player capable of filling in for Doucoure — arguably the Eagles most industrious and well-rounded players.
Since joining Palace from RC Lens 18 months ago, Doucoure, who has four years left on his deal, has directly contributed to three goals in 47 games in all competitions.