Crystal Palace’s move for Alexander Sørloth at the end of the January 2018 transfer window came as something of a surprise to those covering his then club FC Midtjylland.
The striker hadn’t excelled at Groningen in the Eredivisie which had led to the move to Denmark in summer 2017.
That not so long later, albeit after a good start for Midtjylland, that he could be worth close to £10m was astonishing for the Danish sport media.
There were repeat articles expressing surprise at the fee, and doubt over whether the footballer was ready for such a move. But it was generally thought that Roy Hodgson must know what he’s doing, and had used his contacts in Scandinavian football to identify the player.
So far this season the 23 year old has 173 minutes of Premier League football and an EFL Cup appearance, with no goals. Crystal Palace aren’t going to get their money back right now, and may want to see if Sørloth can develop further, so a loan move makes sense.
Thursday’s edition of Belgian newspaper HLN says the the striker is ‘high on the wishlist’ at AA Gent. If he’d get regular games, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
