Eyebrows were certainly raised when The Eagles paid £9 million to bring a little-known Alexander Sorloth to Selhurst Park back in 2018.
Sorloth had spent only a few months in Danish football with FC Midtjylland, after all. And many critics wondered if his sudden move to Palace was a classic case to ‘too much, too soon’.
A tally of one goal in 20 games – and none in the Premier League – certainly does not reflect well on Sorloth’s time in South London. But delve a little deeper and you will discover that 12 of his 16 top-flight appearances came from the bench.
The Norway international averaged only 33 minutes on the pitch per outing. With that in mind, no wonder Sorloth struggled to make much of an impression.
Crystal Palace may regret moving on Alexander Sorloth
Four years after Crystal Palace accepted a bid from RB Leipzig – cashing in despite Sorloth’s remarkable 33-goal loan spell at Trabzonspor – the powerhouse targetman continues to show The Eagles what they could have had.
After a promising spell at Real Sociedad, Sorloth really hit his stride at Villarreal.
26 strikes across all competitions last season included a La Liga hat-trick against Granada and a sensational four-goal haul in a barely-believable draw with Real Madrid.
Sorloth is now set to become the latest high-profile sale from Villarreal this summer. The Yellow Submarine have already lost goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen to Chelsea while centre-back Jorge Cuenca closes in on a move to Fulham.
According to Fabrizio Romano, via his official X account, Sorloth has arrived in Madrid as he prepares to join Real’s city neighbours Atletico.
Striker set to seal £30m move to European giants
Football Espana report that Atletico Madrid are set to pay £30 million.
This is not only the biggest move of the well-travelled Sorloth’s nomadic career, but also comfortably the most expensive.
He will now become the second free-scoring centre-forward to leave La Liga in the space of a few days. Artem Dovbyk – a man who HITC understands was on Manchester City’s radar – has already swapped surprise packages Girona for a AS Roma.
Dovbyk won the Golden Boot last term, second-place Sorloth joining the Ukraine ace on the podium.
And, for any talented footballer wasting away on a Premier League bench, Sorloth’s re-invention should act as an inspiration.
“Years ago, he was at Palace and he never got a game. Everyone wrote him off and said it was a disaster. He got heavily criticised but he barely played!” Spanish football expert Terry Gibson told El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast back in March.
“So when he turned up in Spain I thought ‘how is this going to work?’”
“I think he’s a really good striker. When you see him in the form he was in at the weekend, I think he’s a real asset.
“From that setback he had at Crystal Palace, he’s making a real good career for himself. I think Sorloth is really good, I really do.”