A recent report from the Sun has suggested that Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce has turned his attention towards Tottenham left-back Ben Davies in order to shore up his defence. Allardyce recently returned to manager after the England fiasco with the London outfit. His return has not exactly coincided with an immediate upturn in form for the league strugglers. Just a few days back, Tottenham confirmed the sale of midfielder Tom Carroll to Swansea City for around £4.5 million. Now, another player who is unable to get into the first-team could be tempted with a move away from White Hart Lane.
Davies came to Spurs in the summer of 2014 for around £10 million. However, he has never been a first choice left back at the club considering that Danny Rose has been progressing from strength to strength since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino. Rose is at a stage where he is considered as the best left back in England. It would be hard to dislodge a player in such a form, and Davies has learned it the hard way. He has made only seven league appearances this season with most of his appearances being limited to a substitute, a fact demonstrated by his three Premier League starts.
At 23 years of age, Davies would rather play first-team football and develop himself rather than watching someone else play. It seems that Crystal Palace are keen to use the situation. It is not the first time Davies has been linked with a move elsewhere. Incredibly, Chelsea were interested in the player a few months ago, but it now seems that the blues have cooled their interest in the Welsh international.
The interest from Crystal Palace comes just days after the club gave up on Sunderland defender Patrick van Aanholt. The former Chelsea man was one of the first transfer targets for Allardyce, but the interest had to be dropped after the relegation threatened team demanded around £10 million for the Dutchman. Palace have turned towards Davies, who was thought to be close towards an exit if an offer of around £10 million came. Yet, new reports suggest that the North London outfit are holding out for double this figure. This would come as a major surprise for Palace. Yet, negotiations are expected to progress in the next few days with the deadline fast approaching.
Selling Davies would leave Spurs short of players in a number of positions. The list may also consider themselves unlucky with Tottenham recently suffering a long-term injury to defender Jan Vertonghen, who could be out for up to 2 months. This would increase the possibility of Davies featuring – even in the centre back role – in a title-chasing outfit.
