One of the most welcome surprises in the Premier League this season has been the emergence of Crystal Palace’s talented Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The young Englishman has featured in all but one of Palace’s games so far this season, missing a single game through a dismissal against Liverpool in their second fixture of 2018/19. Towards the end of 2018, Wan-Bissaka had lost just three of his 26 attempted tackles in matches against any of the monikered 'Big Six', more than any other player in the first half of the Premier League season (Squawka). At the end of November, remember in just his second season of Premier League action, he had won 50 of his 55 attempted tackles.
That remarkable ability and form, and imperativeness to Roy Hodgson’s Eagles set-up, has understandably attracted the interest of some of the English top division bigwigs, with Chelsea, Manchester City, and 13-time Premier League champions Manchester United all reported to be interested in snatching up the 21-year-old (The Mirror).
City in particular are said to be heavily rumoured to be looking for a replacement for Kyle Walker, a little over 18 months since splurging an eye-watering £50 million from Sheikh Mansour’s pockets on the former Spurs man. Walker seems to have fallen out of form and favour in the eyes of manager Pep Guardiola.
At City’s cross-town rivals Manchester United, long-time stalwart Antonio Valencia is out of contract in the summer, and at 33-years-old and close to a decade’s worth of service with the Red Devils, it’s likely time for the Ecuadorian to move on. Ashley Young - who is often deployed in the role - also turns 34 this year.
Chelsea are looking at a challenge for Cesar ‘Dave’ Azpilicueta at right-back with Davide Zappacosta set to leave for Serie A outfit Lazio after a year-and-a-half in West London.
Whoever manages to procure Wan-Bissaka - who is yet to be awarded an international cap but has featured for the England Under-21s - will no doubt to getting a fine player extremely capable of boosting a defence. Regardless, the common football fan is set to be in for an absolutely riveting three-way chase for one of the hottest talents in the game.
Wan-Bissaka is currently contracted at Palace until 2022, so expect an absolutely monumental fee for the one of the Premier League giants to prise him away from Selhurst Park.
He is only 21-years old.
