Crystal Palace Eyeing New No.1 with Spanish GK in Their Sights | OneFootball

Crystal Palace in the Fray for Getafe’s David Soria

A flurry of activity in the transfer market is heating up the summer, with Crystal Palace and Getafe seemingly ready to play a game of goalkeeping musical chairs.

A Shuffling of the Goalkeeping Deck

Crystal Palace, the South London outfit, are reportedly eyeing Getafe’s stalwart goalie, David Soria. The move could be a well-calculated play to step in for their present guard, Vicente Guaita. As per information relayed by Marca, this Spanish interplay could disrupt the balance at Selhurst Park and Getafe.

Crystal Palace’s Goalkeeping Gamble

The club from Selhurst Park extended a fresh contract to Guaita earlier in the transfer window. Despite rumblings of contentment from the Spaniard, his signature remains elusive on the dotted line. The 36-year-old shot-stopper, with just a year left on his contract, finds his future at the Park in murky waters.

Interestingly, Guaita’s name has popped up on Getafe’s radar as a potential fill for the impending void left by Soria. Thus, a prospective switcheroo of the goalkeepers could be on the cards this summer.

Who is David Soria, and Why Palace?

Nottingham Forest were the first to express their desire for Soria’s services, but Crystal Palace too see him as a suitable candidate to replace Guaita, increasing the tempo in this transfer tug-of-war.

Journalist Alvaro Canibe, echoing the sentiment of many, sings high praises for the £25k-per-week man, stating, “Thumbs up for David Soria. His excellent level on the pitch has only been surpassed by his courage, leadership and attitude off it. This season has made his importance clear. Captain without the armband. Colossal.”

Soria’s Impressive Scorecard

Soria’s brilliance between the sticks isn’t just hearsay but reflected in the numbers. His average Sofascore match rating of 6.97 in the last season places him as Getafe’s second-best performing player in La Liga. His penalty-saving prowess is noteworthy, having saved four of seven faced until April 8th, more than any other goalie in Europe’s top five leagues at that point.

Boasting an impressive save percentage of 75.3% per 90 minutes in the past year, Soria stands in the 81st percentile among his positional peers. However, Soria does have a chink in his armour. His below-par performance in ground passes sees him rank in the 99th percentile for number of passes launched and only in the 13th percentile for touches per 90.

Notwithstanding, Soria could still emerge as a rock-solid acquisition for Crystal Palace. His credentials suggest he’s well capable of challenging Johnstone for a place in the starting XI in the forthcoming season.

In the end, with both Crystal Palace and Getafe playing their cards close to their chest, only time will tell who’ll emerge victorious in this game of goalkeeping swaps.