CSKA Moscow attacking midfielder Nikola Vlasic has spoken to the Russian media about his teammate Fedor Chalov and his failed transfer to Crystal Palace.
Roy Hodgson’s side were said to be interested in signing the CSKA starlet last summer, but the deal failed at the last minute.
Speaking about Chalov to Sport24 as covered by Championat, the Croatian international believes his teammate deserves to play for a better club than the Eagles: “I don’t think a team from the bottom half of the Premier League would be the right move for him. He’s a striker, he needs support. He needs to have chances to score goals. Palace aren’t an attacking team, so their style won’t suit Fedor.
”I think it’s better for him to stay at CSKA and play for the Champions League, than playing at Palace for avoiding relegation. I think he has the qualities to play the biggest teams in the world like Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid.”
During the last summer transfer window, we covered reports from Russia that Crystal Palace had offered CSKA €15m for the attacker but this was instantly rejected.
There were claims the Premier League side were prepared to increase their bid to €25m in a last-ditch attempt to sign Chalov. However, this didn’t materialise, and he remained with the Moscow club.
The 21 year old has made 27 appearances for CSKA in all competitions this season and has scored six goals. His contract will expire at the end of June 2022.
