Crystal Palace's chance of winning seems to fall in the hands of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze recently.
Roy Hodgson's only two wins in the Eagles' last 13 matches have been when the duo have both started.
The latest of those was a 3-2 win over Sheffield United where the trio were involved in every goal scored versus the Blades. However, the boss could look to take the pressure off the creators by signing a new forward.
Crystal Palace's search for an attacker
Crystal Palace are particularly active during the final stages of the January transfer window with it revealed on Tuesday that they were closing in on an exciting new acquisition.
That happened to be Adam Wharton of Blackburn Rovers, with a fee of £22m seeing him move to Selhurst Park before deadline day on Thursday.
That being said, he's not the only new face who could improve Hodgson's ranks in the dying embers of the window.
Indeed, earlier this week, TEAMtalk revealed that Palace are among the clubs that have targeted Sunderland star Jack Clarke this month.
The Black Cats are demanding a fee upwards of £15m, with Lazio having a £14m offer rejected recently.
However, manager Michael Beale certainly doesn't want their star man to leave as they hunt for promotion to the Premier League.
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ByCharlie SmithFeb 1, 2024 How Jack Clarke compares to Wilfried Zaha
The left-wing spot at Palace had been occupied for the last nine years by club icon Wilfried Zaha, but since his move to Galatasaray in the summer, the Eagles have felt the effect of not signing a replacement for the prolific 31-year-old.
The former Man United player will always be remembered as a Palace great, and he left the club as their record holder for Premier League appearances and as the club's all-time top scorer in the top flight. All in all, he slammed home 90 goals across 458 outings for the Londoners. Hodgson will be hoping that if potential signing Clarke could even replicate half of that, then the move would be a huge success.
The Sunderland star also operates solely as a left-winger, where he has been tearing up opponents all season.
His performances have been so impressive that he's been labelled a "diamond" by former manager Tony Mowbray, and the table below with statistics from this season that compares him to fellow wingers in the Championship proves why his profile is so rare and desired.
Goals
0.46
Top 1%
Assists
0.11
Top 41%
xA
0.23
Top 6%
Key passes
2.39
Top 9%
Passes into penalty area
1.82
Top 6%
Successful take-ons
3.82
Top 1%
Progressive passes received
11.02
Top 1%
Progressive carries
8.49
Top 1%
Instantly, the first attribute of Clarke's game that's apparent is his ability to have an output, unlike plenty of wingers across the top leagues.
The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals this season, the fourth-most in the Championship. The number 20 is relentless, and even though his assists don't suggest it, it isn't only his goals that make him a threat, as he is also a huge creative outlet, as shown by his expected assists (xA) being in the top 6%.
However, the reason Clarke has the potential to become elite is due to his direct approach and lack of fear when on the ball. His key passes and passes into the box show that he boasts sublime vision, but his biggest strength is his ability to continuously provide an option on the flank, receive the ball, and dribble past players as if they aren't there, with the view to unleashing a strike once in and around the penalty area. This is what makes him a "super talent," as per Mowbray and it's why he's comparable to Zaha, a notorious dribble king in his Premier League days.
The thought of having an attack with Olise, Eze, and Clarke is exciting for the Palace faithful but extremely frightening for opposition defenders. Palace must look to sign the young star, who would become their next Zaha.
