Patrick Vieira has reportedly urged his new club Crystal Palace to sign OGC Nice’s full-back Youcef Atal as per the report in Foot Afrique.
The former Nice manager bought the 25-year-old back in 2018 from KV Kortrijk for €3 million. The versatile full-back enjoyed a stellar debut season, scoring six goals in 29 Ligue 1 appearances. But, the right-back has endured a tough last couple of seasons and also suffered injury disruption last term.
The Algerian international would be a very good addition to the Palace’s right-back slot. As the Eagles have struggled to find a replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, following his big-money move to Manchester United. The 25-year-old can be deployed as a right-back and also as a wing-back. His versatility will certainly help Vieira to implement different formations.
Crystal Palace eyeing a move for Atal:
According to the report in Foot Afrique, the Crystal Palace boss is urging his new club to sign Atal this summer. The former Arsenal legend has already worked with the Algerian during his tenure at Les Aiglons. Vieira has previously praised his former player about his work rate.
However, the Premier League side have to be careful about the injury struggles the full-back had suffered over the past two campaigns. Signing a new player who could not make a proper impact due to injury would not be the right scenario for the Selhurst Park faithful.
Selling Atal could be a very good outcome for Nice who hasn’t had a great service from the Algerian. After recovering from a long term knee injury, the 25-year-old has missed quite a lot of games last season for fitness issues. So, it will be a risky move for the Eagles this summer if they are to sign the full-back.
It will be interesting to see what Crystal Palace decide to do with Atal. Will they listen to their manager and go all out for the Algerian’s signature or are they backtracked from the deal. As the 25-year-old has sustained quite a lot of injury setbacks over the past two campaigns. Buying the Nice right-back will be a very risky move, despite his ability to slot in different positions.
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