Crystal Palace completed the signing of Darío Osorio on deadline day, and one of the men who helped develop him believes they’ve provided exactly the right next step.
The Chile international finally made his long-awaited move to the Premier League after three seasons at Midtjylland.
César Vaccia, one of Osorio’s coaches during his development at Universidad de Chile, has now spoken to Chile’s Redgol about the transfer.
He believes Palace suit the 22-year-old particularly well. A move directly to one of England’s biggest clubs could have presented a very different problem.
‘At this team he’ll be able to play’
Vaccia first praised the route Osorio has taken to England.
“I think he did the right thing, going to a European league which isn’t one of the biggest, but has the prestige of the Danish league,” he said.
That gave Osorio regular football and three years to develop before making the Premier League jump. Vaccia now sees Crystal Palace as another sensible choice for much the same reason.
“Now it’s a Premier League team, but it’s not Liverpool or Arsenal. It’s a team where he’ll be able to play,” he explained.
“If he’d gone to City, he wouldn’t have played. At this team he’ll be able to play, he’ll have every opportunity if he repeats the performances he produced in Denmark.”
Osorio attracted attention from a long list of clubs during his time at Midtjylland. Arsenal, Liverpool and several other English sides were linked with him at various stages.
Palace ultimately made the decisive move on deadline day and got the transfer over the line.
Palace can be his next platform
Vaccia doesn’t necessarily see Selhurst Park as the final destination for the winger either.
“If he plays and shows all his qualities, all the big clubs will see him, so it’s a good decision. He was always a different kid,” he said.
So Osorio’s former coach believes the Chilean needed regular football. And of course Midtjylland served that purpose after his departure from Chile. Now he believes Palace can do something similar at a much higher level.
The challenge for Osorio is to justify that confidence. If he can reproduce his performances from Denmark in the Premier League, Vaccia clearly thinks Crystal Palace could be the stage from which he eventually attracts those elite clubs again.
