5 Players Who Could Solve the Lack of Goals at Crystal Palace

The job that Roy Hodgson did last season for Crystal Palace was a fantastic achievement and it even made him a contender among many experts as a potential winner of Manager of the Year.

This season has seen the club make a rather subdued start to the Premier League season, with many fans optimistic about the club not facing the battle of relegation which they are so used to being involved in within the Premier League.

The one area that is really affecting the club and pulling them into the early season contenders as potential relegation strugglers are scoring goals, which we all know is getting harder to find the top strikers to help lead the line in the Premier League.

It is safe to say that Christian Benteke has disappointed over the last season for the club and might never reach the heights that made him such a threat while he was at Villa Park and pushed him to make a move to one of the biggest clubs in England with Liverpool.

This Crystal Palace side has quality throughout the squad and, importantly, they possess a great deal of pace when it comes to the final third. They need to be clinical; a quality that, despite his work and endeavour, Jordan Ayew has never shown in the Premier League. Since making his move to Selhurst Park, he is yet to register a goal.

An important player moving forward for the club in the search of providing goals and chances is Max Meyer. The German midfielder is one who can orchestrate a game and create chances for the players around him, especially with the pace from wide positions in the team.

The former Schalke playmaker has started just one Premier League game, and perhaps Hodgson does not know his best position yet. Playing Meyer in behind a striker with a freedom to move into positions across the attacking third would suit the player most and, in this role, he can look for his attacking players moving in behind the defensive lines.

The need for Palace to get a striker in place is vital moving forward as their current options simply are not delivering for the team. January will not come quick enough for the club to address this situation and to try and get someone in for this role.

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#5 Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck will a target for a number of clubs in January

The former Manchester United striker is enjoying a run of games at Arsenal currently and despite his 4 goals in all competitions so far for the Gunners, his contract at the Emirates runs out at the end of this season. According to The Mirror, a new contract is not on the table for the England international.

Welbeck might not have the most prolific goal record across his career and his injury record has certainly been a factor in his career up to this point. But he possesses a great work ethic, pace, and an intelligence moving between the lines in the attacking third.

The ability to play wide would be a perfect fit into the Crystal Palace attack, with interchanging roles with the main man Wilfried Zaha. Welbeck could benefit massively in his career from moving away from the Emirates and gaining the first choice striker position at a club in the position of Crystal Palace.

They create many chances and have good options in the final third of the pitch. He might not even cost the club a great deal in terms of a transfer fee especially when you consider the sort of fees that are paid in the modern game.

Welbeck to Palace would make perfect sense for both player and club. The stumbling block would be if Unai Emery felt he wanted to keep the energetic forward at Arsenal, as he is a top professional.

#4 Neal Maupay

Neal Maupay will certainly attract attention in January

The Brentford striker is currently the leading the goalscorer in the Championship and will almost certainly be a striker that will attract attention from some Premier League clubs when the transfer window re-opens in January.

The French striker has shown his quality this season with a return of 10 goals in 10 games in the division and has already been at the heart of speculation surrounding a potential departure.

Formerly a French U-21 international, Maupay has developed his game from last season, showing a maturity in his instinct in and around the box while also making intelligent runs and taking up positions more often than not from the left allowing himself to drift inside.

He would be an ideal fit in this Palace side, getting chances in the heart of the opposition box with the creative options that Palace have moving forward.

Dean Smith who made the switch to Villa Park from Brentford might just consider himself in the running to take his former player with him in January. However, the attraction and lure of the Premier League would surely be of interest to the player.

Palace need a goalscorer and Maupay would almost certainly be a good addition in this department.

#3 Francois Kamano

Francois Kamano will find himself linked with other clubs

Not considered a striker but the left forward would be a player that could add much more quality to the Crystal Palace attack while scoring and providing goals along the way. The Bordeaux front-man has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season in Ligue 1 with 7 goals thus far in his 8 league starts.

Last season, Malcom was the player who stole the headlines for Bordeaux. But Kamano was a major player for the club and has shown improvement and willingness to work hard.

He can play anywhere across the attack and, while he has lightning pace, he has the power and ability to change direction with ease. His final delivery is very good and it has progressed year after year.

The Guinea international is finding himself attracting the attention of potential suitors already with a previous link to Fulham and Newcastle.

While not considered an out and out goal-scorer Kamano is among the top goal-scorers in Ligue 1 this season thus far, and if he continues his early season form the former Bastia attacker could find himself attracting the attention of the bigger clubs across Europe. Palace would be a great destination for Kamano, with the injection of his pace and quality this would add another dimension to the Palace attack, interchanging with Zaha into the central striking role.

#4 Fernando Llorente

Fernando Llorente was a massive success at Swansea

The early summer had seen Crystal Palace linked with bringing former Spain international Fernando Llorente to Selhurst Park, and come January this should be a move that should be rekindled.

The former Sevilla striker has not featured regularly for Tottenham since his arrival and, should Harry Kane not be available to lead the line for Spurs, Llorente would not be the favourite to take this position in the team.

At the age of 33, Llorente must be considering his next move to give himself an opportunity to play first-team football. Crystal Palace would be ideal for the big Spaniard, especially when you consider the chances they create from the wide positions with the likes of Zaha, Andros Townsend and Van Aanholt to provide crosses.

Llorente would have to still be considered as one of the best forwards to attack crosses, especially when considering the links Antonio Conte had to try and sign his former striker while in charge at Chelsea.

The target man would be an ideal addition for this Palace attack. His ability to hold the ball up and bring the likes of Zaha, Meyer, and Townsend into play would be a major benefit and his ability in both boxes will be of great advantage.

Signing the fringe striker from Tottenham should not be the hardest move to pull off and this must be considered a strong option for Hodgson and Crystal Palace moving forward.

#5 Wilfried Zaha

Wilfried Zaha is the main man at Selhurst Park

Already at the club, but could Zaha be the answer for the team in a central position? He has certainly got better with his end product over the years and, right now, he would be the one player when playing against Crystal Palace that every club feels they need to stop.

Hodgson has tried to play Zaha in the central role on a number of occasions. While he is the club's top goalscorer and most creative player, he would not be considered clinical enough.

This is a move that would make sense in the long term should Hodgson move forward with playing Max Meyer in behind Zaha in a no.10 position. Without a creative and intelligent player like the German playing in this Palace side, Zaha would get frustrated and drop deeper to get the ball.

That would effectively result in no player being available to lead the line. Moving forward Zaha might just be the best option available to Roy Hodgson. He leads the way so far this season in terms of goals with 3 to his name, but he now has the maturity to his game to lead the team from the front.

Operating almost in a false nine role could create problems for the opposition and interchanging positions with the likes of Meyer, Townsend, Schlupp, and Ayew would be a dangerous front-line for Palace.

In the long term, they would need to invest in a striker. But right now Zaha could play in a central role to get the goals for this Palace side.