Crystal Palace have set their sights on Italian Striker Dani Osvaldo. According to Shoot Magazine, Pardew has switched his attention to the former Southampton player after the Hampshire club terminated his contract.
Mauricio Pochettino, originally shelled out £15m to sign the prolific striker from Roma, after having previously worked with him at Espanyol, where he netted 22 goals in 47 goals.
Osvaldo suffered from a slow start at Southampton, despite scoring his first goal in a comfortable 2-0 against Palace. Towards the end of the year, the Argentinian born striker began to adjust to life in the Premier League, with goals against Aston Villa and a remarkable goal against Manchester City, where he belittled the City defence, before outrageously curling it into the top corner.
However, things turned sour very quickly for Osvaldo, who already had a reputation in Italy for being a loose cannon. He was firstly charged with violent conduct on the touchline during a match against Newcastle and then three weeks later was suspended by Southampton, after a training ground incident with José Fonte, effectively ending his career on the South Coast.
He soon returned to Italy, enjoying loan spells at Juventus, Inter Milan and then to Argentina, where he impressed at Boca Juniors, the latter of which, is reported to still be interested in making the move permanent.
Dani Osvaldo is clearly a wonderful talent and has demonstrated his tremendous ability in the past. Being available on a free transfer, this could transpire to be a fantastic signing for the Eagles but Pardew will face a Ballotelli-esque challenge if he wants to get the most out of him.
