Throughout the past few Premier League seasons or so, no one player has quite managed to capture the same amount of attention down at Selhurst Park as much as DR Congo international Yannick Bolasie.
The French-born attacker has not only impressed many Crystal Palace fans of late through his direct runs into the heart of the opposition’s back-line and threatening style of play within the final third, but the daring 26-year-old has also seen several names within the wider English footballing community speak very highly of him.
It should therefore come as very little surprise that Bolasie has subsequently become the subject of some pretty intense transfer speculation so far this summer. West Ham, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hostspur have all reportedly singled themselves out as true admirers of the player’s talents in recent weeks, yet it seems Mauricio Pochettino’s determined Spurs outfit may currently be leading the race as it stands.
The White Hart Lane hierarchy are supposedly lining up both Bolasie and West Brom’s latest striking sensation Saido Berahino as ideal candidates to help Harry Kane lead the line for Tottenham next season.
So then, within this ever competitive and testing summer transfer period, will Crystal Palace actually manage to hold onto their star man ahead of the 2015/16 campaign, or will the option to move elsewhere ultimately prove too tempting for the rapidly rising Yannick Bolasie?
Well, one thing that seemingly remains certain within all of this, is the guaranteed collective disappointment that is bound to emerge within the Selhurst Park faithful, should Bolasie eventually depart south London this summer. On his day the Crystal Palace no. 7 can truly take his respective matches by storm, and dictate proceedings in a very impressive style.
The 26-year-old has a decent range of passing inside the opposition’s half, a keen eye for goal when given the opportunity in and around the penalty box, as well as possessing some truly dazzling ball-skills – some of which remaining curiously unique to Yannick Bolasie in particular. From controlling the ball calmly in the air to simply bamboozling the opposition with a variation of rabona flicks, la roulettes and well-timed step-overs, the Selhusrt Park favourite really knows how to entertain.
The prospect of signing Crystal Palace’s latest sensation is therefore likely to ignite a fair amount of excitement among the White Hart Lane faithful. Alongside the likes of Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, and potentially even Erik Lamela if he ever finds his top form for Spurs, Bolasie could ultimately prove the missing link within Tottenham’s determined strike-force, and help propel Mauricio Pochettino’s outfit into the Premier League’s top-four sooner rather than later.
However, as Alan Pardew has – perhaps somewhat jestingly – previously decided to value the DR Congo international at a staggering £40million, any potential suitors for Bolasie will certainly have to cough up the bucks if they really want to land his signature this summer. Whilst Crystal Palace will never receive quite that much for the 26-year-old in the cold light of day, the rapidly emerging attacker is still likely to amount to quite a figure in this current transfer climate.
But whilst the prospect of moving to Tottenham will certainly act as a clear step up in the career of Yannick Bolasie, the player himself should arguably keep his head down at Selhurst Park, and continue to do the business for Crystal Palace.
With Yohan Cabaye recently moving to the London club, the Eagles have somewhat developed themselves a more serious reputation among the rest of their Premier League counter-parts. The former Newcastle and PSG man represents a bold new move for Crystal Palace in the transfer market, and if a couple more top quality signings can be sourced in the run up to the 2015/16 campaign, Bolasie may find himself in some updated company without having to move away from his current employers.
Such an outcome would certainly appease the Selhurst Park faithful no doubt, yet if Palace eventually concede defeat within this whole Bolasie saga, the joy of signing Yohan Cabaye could frustratingly be short lived should their widely admired no. 7 finally depart.
If Tottenham’s reported interest in the Palace star turns out to be genuine, it ultimately remains hard to imagine Yannick Bolasie sticking it out with Alan Pardew’s side for a great deal longer.
The likes of West Ham and Aston Villa arguably can’t offer the 26-year-old much of an improvement going into the new campaign, yet the same just can’t be said about Spurs.
Therefore, if Pochettino makes an official bid for Bolasie this summer, expect the highly rated front-man to soon be on his way from Selhurst Park, one way or another.
