Crystal Palace now target player Gary Neville described as 'fantastic' to replace Michael Olise

Crystal Palace have been strongly linked to Arsenal forward Emile Smith Rowe as a possible replacement for Michael Olise, who has agreed to a long-term deal with Bayern Munich, according to The Sun Sports.

Last season, Smith Rowe struggled for game time as Arsenal challenged for the Premier League title, narrowly losing out to Manchester City for the second year running. He made only 13 appearances, mostly from the bench.

It was the second season in a row that Smith Rowe had been a fringe player, as he only played in 12 league games the season before. Palace will be looking for a forward and have been linked with a host of Premier League and Championship players, but a move for Smith Rowe would be in the interest of the player, who was once the best-performing player in the Arsenal academy and described as fantastic by former Manchester United captain Gary Neville.

The 20-year-old was one of Arsenal's best performers in a 3-0 victory over Newcastle in 2021. Neville went further to liken him to Robert Pires that night. He is quoted by the Daily Mail via Sky Sports: “You watch Emile Smith Rowe play. You watch a lot of young players play, particularly in the attacking area, and they're frantic. Their choices are usually a bit erratic; they don't normally get it right.

"He runs with the ball, he moves with the ball, he glides with the ball, and he's always at a point where you feel he can release it. The real best players travel with the ball but are always in a position where they can release it. He's connected, he's switched on, he's clever and fantastic.

“He is like when Robert Pires was in his prime and it's beautiful to watch.”

The ongoing European Championship has seen a lot of transfers being discussed at a slow pace, with Bayern Munich expected to announce the signing of Olise in the coming weeks, which will then pave the way for Palace to move on and look for replacements.