Friday 1 February 2019 15:58, UK
Roy Hodgson says new signing Michy Batshuayi can be the missing piece in Crystal Palace's jigsaw.
Batshuayi joined Palace on loan from Chelsea on Deadline Day and could make his debut in Saturday's game against Fulham at Selhurst Park.
The deal was wrapped up in the closing minutes on Thursday and although he expressed his delight at the Belgian's arrival, Hodgson suggested he had been on his radar for a while.
"Our interest in him didn't just go back to the last few hours last night, it goes back a long way," the Palace boss said.
"We discussed him before the transfer window opened and we were told he was likely to be loaned out again, but maybe not to an English club.
"Right at the last minute, Chelsea decided we would be the prime candidate and we jumped at it straight away and we did well to get it over the line. He is a player who could be a missing piece in our jigsaw puzzle."
Palace are 15th in the Premier League table and just four points above the relegation zone. They head into Saturday's match having scored just 24 goals in as many games this season, but Hodgson is hoping Batshuayi can help boost that tally.
"If you look at his record, he has scored goals. Maybe it didn't go so well in Valencia, but going through Standard Liege, Marseille and Chelsea, he is a proven goalscorer," he added.
"We have always liked what we have seen and I spoke to people I know and trust, and I got very good references. We need a player to guarantee us some goals, and we hope in Michy we have that person.
"It will give everyone a boost. It will give the players a boost and more importantly, our fans, a boost, to have a player with a good goal-scoring record."
Hodgson confirmed he will assess the forward before deciding whether to start him against Fulham, but one player who will definitely be missing for Palace is Wilfried Zaha following his sending off at Southampton.
The 26-year-old received two yellow cards on Wednesday night in quick succession, the second of which for sarcastically clapping referee Andre Marriner. He was later charged with improper conduct by the FA, but Hodgson hopes he will not receive any further punishment.
"I hope he won't get an extension to the ban. We can only hope that the people who make those decisions will empathise with the player," the 71-year-old said.
"Of course, afterwards, everyone feels contrite about it, and he is very regretful, but his record in those terms has been pretty reasonable.
"He was last sent off something like seven years ago. He is not a perennial bad boy. I just hope if it goes to the possibility of a further ban, these people will take these things into consideration.
"We have seen him react, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and he has a strong sense of justice and injustice. But he has to learn from this episode and to control his emotions. I am sure that is what he intends to do."
