Ayew fails to soar as Eagles look at options
THINGS haven’t gone according to plan for Jordan Ayew at Crystal Palace.
The 27-year-old has made 12 appearances for the Eagles so far this season, failing to trouble the scorers, with rumours circulating that manager Roy Hodgson will look to the transfer market next month in order to address his squad’s goal shortage.
Jermaine Defoe is the latest name mentioned in the same breath as the Eagles, with Ayew’s arrival from Swansea City not bringing the desired effect.
The former England boss defended the onloan striker earlier this month, saying: “To be fair, Jordan Ayew hasn’t done badly at all.
“He has done well in the games and Alex Sorloth is coming back into some sort of form. So, at least, this year there are bodies and people competing for those places.”
Buy Ayew’s performances haven’t impressed all, with publication News Shopper dishing out a fairly blunt summary of his time in South London to date.
“The man who arrived from relegated Swansea City with little fan-fare and little promise,” they write.
“Seen as a ‘back-up’ striker to Christian Benteke and an alternative to Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend, little was expected from the Ghanaian.
“That is precisely what Roy Hodgson got.
“Hodgson lost faith in the striker and opted to put the striker on the bench favouring Zaha and Townsend in a front two.
“The move was seen as a lack of confidence in Ayew who has only come in to the side from the bench or when either Zaha or Townsend are injured, or suspended.”
Ayew was Swansea’s top scorer last term but a loan move to Palace capped off a frustrating summer of speculation following relegation from the Premier League. It ended a drawnout saga which had seen the former Aston Villa forward opt not to train with Swansea as he sought to force through a move, subsequently leading to him being told to stay away from the club’s Fairwood base.
Ayew’s move to Selhurst Park had looked set to be a permanent deal at one stage, with Palace midfielder Jairo Riedewald proposed as the player to come the other way.
But the Dutchman was reluctant to make the step down to the Championship just 12 months after following Frank de Boer from Ajax to get his Premier League move.
And Ayew’s move is unlikely to turn into a permanent one after his lacklustre impact.
“The biggest compliment one can give Ayew is that it’s made Palace fans appreciate the role Benteke played, even when he was out of form,” the News Shopper comment continues.
“Palace have been linked with a number of players in the January transfer window and in particular in the striker department. These rumours and with Benteke and Connor Wickham soon to return from injury, Ayew’s time may be over before he really got going.”
Ayew is contracted to Swansea until the summer of 2020.