Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed that one of his summer signings is ready to start against Leicester City and stressed the club did not pay £25m for him to sit on the bench.
Palace are due to play host to Leicester at Selhurst Park this weekend as the Premier League gets going again after the international break.
All eyes are on what starting eleven Glasner puts onto the pitch, but he has indicated towards one selection decision.
Crystal Palace splashed the cash to land striker Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal before the window closed and Glasner insists he was not signed to sit on the bench.
Nketiah is available for selection against Leicester on Saturday and Glasner dubbed the striker ‘very smart’.
“Yes, he’s ready to start. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have spent about £25m”, Glasner told a press conference.
“We don’t spend £25m for a player to be on the bench.
“He can play different positions – he’s very smart. He is a different profile to Jean-Philippe [Mateta].”
Nketiah had seemed to be going to Nottingham Forest at one point in the summer transfer window, but a move to the City Ground collapsed.
Now Nketiah will look to enjoy the regular football at Crystal Palace which he found hard to come by at Arsenal.
