Crystal Palace are chasing experience in midfield this summer, and are stepping up their pursuit of a player Oliver Glasner has worked with before in a bid to solve that.
Glasner spearheading Palace revival
There is a feel-good factor back at Selhurst Park, and it is largely thanks to new boss Glasner. After a mixed start, he has turned Crystal Palace's fortunes around, with their latest Premier League win, 2-0 against Newcastle, their third consecutive win and lifting them into mid-table.
The 49-year-old has combined exciting attacking play with solidity at the back and has helped supercharge Jean-Philippe Mateta in front of goal, with the Frenchman having grabbed his seventh and eighth goals under Glasner against the Magpies.
With the Austrian tactician in charge, the Eagles are scoring more, conceding fewer and picking up more points on average than they managed under Roy Hodgson's tenure this season.
Glasner vs Hodgson 23/24
Roy Hodgson
Oliver Glasner
Games
24
9
Wins
6
4
Win %
25%
44%
Goals scored per game
1.13
1.78
Goals conceded per game
1.59
1.33
Points per game
1
1.56
But there remains concern in the longer run, with talismanic pair Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise both wanted by clubs in the top six and Palace's attempt to ward this off with a £60m price tag on each unlikely to deter many.
Beyond that, clubs have also shown an interest in defender Marc Guehi, who is recovering from injury and set to be on show at EURO 2024. It could be a summer of change in south London therefore, and Steve Parish is looking to add a former Glasner player in a bid to combat that.
Crystal Palace eyeing Kamada move
That comes in the form of Japanese midfielder Daichi Kamada, who turned 93 times for Glasner when the pair worked together at Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 25 goals and registering 12 assists.
The midfielder left Frankfurt over the summer as a free agent, penning a lucrative £63k per week deal with Serie A side Lazio. However, the season had not gone to plan under Mauricio Sarri, with Kamada making just eight starts before the Lazio boss was let go.
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Since his departure, however, the Japanese international has played more frequently, starting each of the last four Serie A outings for Lazio and grabbing his first assist since September in their most recent win over Genoa.
And as per Corriere dello Sport, new Lazio boss Igor Tudor "would like to convince him to stay" at the club and continue his form in Rome. However, there is interest from Crystal Palace, who are "serious" about signing the 27-year-old and reuniting him with Glasner for the new season.
Any decision reportedly has to be made by May 30th, with the decision to extend Kamada's deal at Lazio thought to be one that rests with the player.
It remains to be seen whether or not the lure of Premier League football under one of his former coaches is enough to turn his head, but it certainly seems as though Palace are keen on the deal, which could see them add an experienced head for next to nothing.
