Crystal Palace Secures Yeremy Pino at an Incredible Price!

Footem.in – Yeremy Pino has reportedly reached a principal agreement to move to Crystal Palace for a transfer fee of around IDR 541 billion, marking the end of his time at Villarreal, where he has been since his academy days.

End of a Long Journey with Villarreal

Pino still had two years left on his contract with Villarreal, which included a release clause of IDR 1.43 trillion. However, Palace managed to persuade the winger to join for only a third of that amount.

The 22-year-old has a deep-rooted history with “The Yellow Submarine.” He trained in Villarreal’s academy from 2017 to 2019 and made his first-team debut in October 2020.

In 2021, Pino made history as the youngest Spanish player to start in a European final, becoming the youngest winner of the Europa League after defeating Manchester United.

To date, he has made 169 appearances for Villarreal and has played 15 times for the Spanish national team, contributing to La Roja’s victory in the UEFA Nations League 2023.

Palace Needs a Creativity Boost

Crystal Palace is known for offering opportunities to creative players, and Pino is expected to bring a fresh perspective to Selhurst Park. This transfer comes at a crucial time for manager Oliver Glasner’s squad.

Palace’s summer has been eventful, having won the FA Cup against Manchester City and subsequently defeating Liverpool in the Community Shield.

They are also close to advancing to the main round of the Conference League after a strong performance against Fredrikstad in the first leg of the qualifying playoffs.

However, there have been setbacks as well. After initially looking set to qualify for the Europa League, a successful appeal by Nottingham Forest approved by UEFA has resulted in Palace being relegated to the third tier of European competition. This situation has been complicated by limited transfer activity.

So far, they have made just two signings: Borna Sosa from Ajax as backup in the left-back position after Ben Chilwell returned to Chelsea, and goalkeeper Walter Benitez, who joined for free from PSV to support Dean Henderson.

Significant Loss in Attack

Glasner has openly criticized the club’s passive approach to transfers, particularly after the departure of key player Eberechi Eze.

The player, who wore the number 10 shirt, scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists last season, including the decisive goal in the FA Cup final at Wembley. He was sold to Arsenal for IDR 1.25 trillion, with potential add-ons of IDR 166 billion.

The proceeds from that sale have not yet significantly strengthened the squad, although there are rumors about a possible recruitment of Manuel Akanji for around IDR 312 billion. However, the main priority is clearly to find a creative replacement in attack, making Yeremy Pino an anticipated addition for supporters.

Now, it remains uncertain if Pino was the first choice on the list, but Crystal Palace is at least relieved to bring in a new talent to fill the significant gap left by Eze.