Crystal Palace have been handed a bitter blow just hours before their clash with Arsenal after it emerged youngster Eberechi Eze has suffered a long-term injury.
According to The Athletic, the 22-year-old suffered a serious Achilles injury in training that could rule him out for well into next season. The publication are claiming that the star is seeing a specialist today to ascertain the extent of the damage and consult about the surgery, most likely, required to fix the issue.
It will come as a bitter blow for the Eagles after the former Queens Park Rangers showed immense promise during his debut season in the Premier League. Eze has contributed 10 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions and scored some lovely goals including a great solo strike versus Sheffield United.
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The news will be a bitter blow for everyone associated with the south London outfit and means the club will likely have to dip into the transfer market for an extra attacking addition.
There was already calls for an additional striker to be among the priority signings for the Eagles, however, with Eze out for a prolonged period, the Eagles are now without an out-and-out number 10.
It’s hard to explain just how big of an impact the England youth international has had on the team since his arrival from west London. No player has racked up more assists than the attacker (6), who also averages the most key passes, the joint-most dribbles and is the second-most fouled player per game in the Palace squad.
Given the fact he cost the club upwards of £19m, the Selhurst Park side will need to fork out a considerable fee in the summer window to replace the talent they’ve lost in Eze.
The blow is a bitter one for the Eagles and means they need to scour the market for a replacement, a difficult task in itself with the recent financial setback and lack of a permanent replacement for the departing Roy Hodgson.