Hodgson on the importance of his central midfielders
In a week where the discourse of football has featured plenty of discussion on central midfielders, Roy Hodgson admitted to being more than happy with his own options at Crystal Palace.
With Jefferson Lerma shining on his Premier League debut last weekend at Sheffield United alongside Palace’s Player of the Season Cheick Doucouré, Hodgson was full of praise for his side’s engine room in his pre-Arsenal press conference.
The manager smiled: “You saw it on Saturday [at Sheffield United]. I don’t think that either Doucouré or Lerma are people who just sit in front of a back four – they’ve both got much more to their game than that.
“They are No. 6s, if we call players by numbers in the modern game, but I don’t think we’d say [Arsenal’s] Declan Rice is a No. 6 – he’s a very, very good central midfield player.
“That’s what I’d describe Lerma as and Doucouré as: good central midfield players, who know how to operate in that area and luckily, also, understand the defensive aspects of that position as well.”
Expanding further on Lerma’s strengths, Hodgson noted: “He was Player of the Season last year at Bournemouth. He doesn’t have obvious weaknesses in his game. He’s high-energy, a hard-working player and a team player, so really he’s got all the things that a coach, a manager, is looking for.
“We can only hope that he continues to develop within our team structure. He’s made a very good start. The players have taken to him and he seems to have taken to the players and the way we work. At the moment, everything about Jefferson Lerma is a hundred percent positive.
“For all players, it’s about what they do when they cross that white line, and up to now, he’s done it three times for us: for 60 minutes against Millonarios, for 90 minutes against Sevilla and 90 minutes against Sheffield United. If I can bottle those performances and release that performance the next time he plays, we’ll be fine.”
When Palace face Arsenal on Monday at Selhurst Park – a match you can find more about here – Lerma and Doucouré are likely to come up against England international Declan Rice, a big-money acquisition for the Gunners from West Ham United.
With heavy investment in midfield a theme of the summer, Hodgson noted: “It’s always been big. I don’t think it’s new.
“The midfield area is an area where people within football have understood the importance of getting good players in, none more so than Sir Alex [Ferguson] at Manchester United, because he always had top-class players in central midfield, all of which brought him trophies – from the [Bryan] Robsons to the [Paul] Inces to the [Roy] Keanes.
“He [Rice] has got strength, he’s got energy, he understands the game very well, he gets from box to box, and when he’s in each of the boxes he does a really good job because he knows how to defend and also has an eye for goal. He’s the type of player every person is looking for and it’s been an interesting development for him.
“I’ve followed him a little bit myself – [James] Tomkins told me about him many years ago when he was a very good young player at West Ham – and I’ve seen that as he’s gone along. He’s done his apprenticeship really, coming through the ranks at West Ham, each year getting better, and in the end, he’s an England international.”
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Conor Gallagher uninterested in joining Crystal Palace or Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace target Conor Gallagher is keen on continuing at Chelsea for the 2023-24 season.
According to The Sun, Conor Gallagher doesn’t want to part ways with Chelsea in the ongoing transfer window. The 23-year-old midfielder has been linked with the likes of Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur but he wants to stay put.
Tottenham Hotspur’s focus throughout the transfer window has been on bolstering their defence. But, they are also actively looking for a new midfielder. The London club wants to sign someone who can feature in different roles in the centre of the park and the 23-year-old Chelsea graduate was one of their targets.
Meanwhile, Palace are also keen on strengthening their midfield in the coming weeks. The Eagles have been very active of late in the window and they were making moves to sign the England international who has featured for them back in the day.
Gallagher had joined Crystal Place on loan during the 2021-22 season. He had an exceptional season while on loan at the Eagles, his impressive performances resulted in him being promoted to Chelsea’s first team in the summer of 2022.
While both Spurs and the Eagles were keen on the services of the 23-year-old, they have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit as the player has decided to continue at his childhood club.
Since getting promoted to their first team, the England international has featured in a total of 46 matches and has contributed towards four goals. He featured in a total of 45 matches last season and was on the pitch for over 2000 minutes.
The 23-year-old might not have started the majority of the matches but he was given a decent role in his very first season with the senior team. But, with Chelsea signing quite a few midfielders of late, the England international’s future started becoming uncertain and multiple clubs started monitoring him closely.
Despite a lot of interest from elsewhere, Gallagher wants to continue at Chelsea. He wants to fight for his spot in the starting XI and will not be parting ways with the club in the ongoing transfer window.
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