- Palace linked to Belgian wonderkid
- €60m price tag could cause issues
- Scout report
Ekrem Konur has reported that Crystal Palace will enter the race for highly rated Lille forward Matías Fernández-Pardo. The 21-year-old Belgian-Spanish striker has attracted huge interest from the Premier League after his season in Ligue 1.
Playing for LOSC Lille, Fernández-Pardo has played a key role for the side, which finished third in the French top flight this season.
Now, he’s attracting interest, and at just 21, his next move is not only intriguing but exciting.
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Who is Fernández-Pardo?
Starting his career at KAA Gent in Belgium, Fernández-Pardo played one full season in the Pro League before Lille signed him.
A fee in the region of £9.5m was agreed for his transfer to Lille, where he has now finished his second season at the club.
In that time, he has offered up a total of 12 goals and 8 assists in 63 games.
Eligible for both Spain and Belgium, Fernández-Pardo has represented the Red Devils of Belgium at youth international level.
Brighton, Brentford and Newcastle are also tracking him, with Lille setting a whopping €50-€60m price tag on their young talent’s head.
Scout Report
Standing at 6”0, Fernández-Pardo is well built, with a tall and lean stature. He has featured across the frontline for Lille this season, but his primary position is at centre-forward.
A fast, direct and skillful attacking player who always looks to get forward and create chances, Fernández-Pardo has been a key player for Lille. Their joint top goal scorer this season with eight league goals, he also leads the club’s assist charts too.
His pace is devastating, and he often leads counter-attacks by powering beyond defenders who simply cannot keep up. He thrives in these situations, especially on the left-hand side, where he then can cut the ball back across the box.
Watching his highlights, the thought of Ismaila Sarr meeting Fernández-Parsdo’s cutbacks jumped out.
His finishing ability is strong for a player his age. He does not tend to rush his shots, and does well to compose himself when finishing from close range, and shooting from distance. A strong ball-striker, Fernández-Pardo is a huge threat in and around the box.
When Olivier Giroud is absent, Fernández-Pardo is trusted with penalty duty, and has scored both spot kicks he’s attempted this campaign. His composure in front of goal is excellent, and it transcends to his dribbling technique too.
Fast, slight and sometimes improvised touches see Fernández-Pardo evade oncoming defenders. What stands out is how easy he makes it look.
Of course, at just 21, there are some parts of his game that need to be ironed out before his true potential can be seen. He leads Lille’s squad for big chances missed, with 15 this season in Ligue 1.
With Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 20 big chances missed this season, Palace don’t need more wasteful forwards.
Had the South London club not underperformed their expected goals so drastically, there is no telling where they might have finished in the league.
Fernández-Pardo would be a great option for Palace in terms of future investment, but the valuation may see them fall away from the chasing pack.
