Crystal Palace midfielder looks to be Whitecaps’ next target

Carl Robinson’s campaign to reshape his midfield continues apace, with Englishman Jordon Mutch his latest target.

As reported first by ESPN, talks between the Whitecaps and Mutch, a former England U21 international, are at an “advanced” stage.

Since scoring seven goals in 35 Premier League matches for relegation-bound Cardiff City in 2013-14, Mutch has spent most of his time as a role player in the English top flight, initially with Queens Park Rangers in 2014-15, then for the past four seasons with Crystal Palace, who paid QPR — who also proved to be relegation-bound — £6 million to complete the January 2015 transfer.

The 26-year-old played just four games for Palace last season and spent the second half of the season on loan at Reading, playing nine games for the Championship club. He scored one goal for Reading.

However, he has not played a league game for Palace this season and has been looking for a new club for a while. There were rumours connected to another move to Reading earlier this season, and then reports said Bolton was interested too, but nothing came of it. He can’t join another English club until the summer transfer window, but he could make an international move to the MLS.

Mutch is said to be an attacking-minded box-to-box midfielder, which fits with what Robinson has been looking for.

When Cardiff was relegated after the 2013-14 season, there were a few Premier League clubs interested in bringing him in, including Sunderland.

But his time in London with Crystal Palace has seen his role diminished. He played just four times in 2016-17, but appeared 20 times the season before.

The numbers say he’s not a great possession player and a pretty average passer, despite having shown an ability to create scoring chances.

If Mutch does land with the Whitecaps, it’s because he seems to be a player who is perfect for MLS’s style of play. And his aggressive nature is something Robinson values.

Advanced soccer stats site WhoScored says Mutch did pretty well for Reading, but observers have described him as a player who is pretty good when playing alongside other midfielders with clearly defined roles.