Tony Pulis hopes to add to his Crystal Palace squad in the New Year, but admits he will not be in a position to bid for Jordan Rhodes.
Scotland international Rhodes is regarded as one of the best strikers outside of the Premier League, and has scored 11 goals in 19 Championship appearances for Blackburn Rovers this season. Predictably, this has led to speculation linking him with a move when the window reopens, and Pulis is thought to want him at Selhurst Park.
Palace have enjoyed something of a upturn in form of late, winning their last two matches to inject genuine hope of beating the drop, yet they are the lowest scorers in the top-flight with just 10 goals to their name. Rhodes, then, would be a great addition to their ranks, but Pulis insists he simply can’t afford to sign the 23-year-old.
“We’ll get linked with every Tom, Dick and Harry from now until the window closes, I should imagine, but the answer is no. We couldn’t afford Jordan Rhodes,” he said. “The business that we do will determine what sort of run we can have in the second half of the season.
“There has to be a certain change around, it’s just how much and what we can do in that change around that will determine our season. The players have been fantastic, the attitude around the club has been brilliant, but we do need some help and we do need to improve.”
One player who could soon boost Palace’s attacking options is Glenn Murray. The 30-year-old scored 30 goals in 42 matches as the Eagles secured promotion via the playoffs last season, but he has yet to feature this term having suffered a knee injury in May. However, he is closing on a return, and Pulis said: “It’ll be like signing a new player.”
