Crystal Palace boss not expecting striker movement in January
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
Roy Hodgson is not expecting Crystal Palace to cash in on Christian Benteke in the January transfer window – with the Belgian international claiming earlier this week he might have to move for first-team football to lock down his Euro 2020 spot.
The former Liverpool and Aston Villa forward scored twice for Belgium in a 6-1 thumping of Cyprus on Tuesday but last netted for the Eagles in the 3-2 win at Arsenal in April – his only goal last season.
Palace announced last month that Benteke has signed a 12-month extension until the summer of 2021.
Hodgson said: “It would be a concern if the club was planning to sell him because we’ve only got two centre forwards and a recovering Conor Wickham – but he hasn’t played for a long time. So to have an enormous shortage of front players it would be a concern for me.
“But as far as I know, we have no plans to sell him.
“When you sign a contract with a club you sign for the good times and the bad times. It’s not a case of ‘I’ll stay if it’s a good time but as soon as it’s a bad time I’ll move away’.
“It would have to be something both he and we wanted. I’ve got no suggestion it’s something I want. But, as with all these things, we’ll wait and see what transpires.”
PICTURE BY KEITH GILLARD