The £14m high-risk wonderkid who could become the most gifted player Crystal Palace have ever had

When you weigh it up against the brilliant run of form that Crystal Palace went on towards the end of last season and a summer of positivity, the 2-1 defeat to Brentford on the opening weekend has to be seen as a rather disappointing start to proceedings. Oliver Glasner’s side were by no means bad and it’s hardly time to hit the panic button, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that they were lacking some of the spark that they showed as they started dismantling opposing sides back in April and May.

The loss of Michael Olise may well be a factor. The Frenchman has moved on to Bayern Munich and his ingenuity, creativity and willingness to take risks will not be easy to replace. Eberechi Eze is an excellent attacking midfielder in his own right and new signing Daichi Kamada may well prove to be a fine acquisition, but a team doesn’t just lose a player of Olise’s level and carry on as if nothing has happened.

The need to find someone who can replicate some of Olise’s work may explain why they have been linked with Lyon’s Rayan Cherki by French sports newspaper L’Equipe. Cherki, who is back with his club after winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games alongside Olise, has just one year left on his contract at the Groupama Stadium and it is widely expected that he will be solid before the transfer window closes - but a deal hasn’t developed yet despite reports that a €15m (£12.8m) fee had been agreed with Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the summer.

Whatever caused that move to fizzle out, Borussia Dortmund soon followed suit in being linked with the player only to fail to follow through. Now, L’Equipe claim that Lyon have “received interest” from both Crystal Palace and Fulham, although details of how far any negotiations may have proceeded are scant. But if Palace did sign the 21-year-old, what would he add to proceedings at Selhurst Park?

If hype always translated into a glittering career, then signing Cherki would represent a serious coup for either London club. Able to play as a number ten or on either flank, the two-footed Cherki’s sublime technique and mazy dribbling skills saw him promoted to Lyon’s first team when he was just 16. He is currently the youngest player ever to score for Lyon and the third youngest player ever to play in the Champions League.

While Cherki has gone on to become a regular in Lyon’s senior squad who starts more games than he doesn’t, he hasn’t quite yet translated his obvious talent into consistent productivity – he has just six goals and 16 assists in 116 Ligue 1 matches. He certainly wouldn’t be able to replace everything Olise did for Palace right away.

But although he may not yet have the end product required to be a star player at the Premier League level, there is a good reason that sides like PSG and Dortmund appeared to be interested. Cherki is a truly magnificent dribbler whose tight close control and sharp turn of speed make him a nightmare for defenders, and his willingness to make quick passes forward means that he can create chances in a variety of different ways.

If Cherki doesn’t score many or play the very last ball too often, that partly reflects the fact that he plays in unusually deep areas for a modern winger – he likes to retreat into midfield to collect possession and get moves going from further back. That isn’t the way Olise played for Palace but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t effective. While 16 assists in 116 games is an unremarkable return, he still crafted an average of 5.67 shooting opportunities per game for his team-mates by breaking the lines with his ball-carrying skills and getting the ball forward to others to make the last pass. If ‘pre-assists’ were a reliably measured statistic, he would probably have plenty. He is a creative force without being the man who makes the headline play.

Cherki does have some issues to resolve, for all his undeniable ability. There are some rough edges to polish off with his decision making, he has a propensity towards showboating which doesn’t always help his team, and his next club may well encourage him to be a little more positionally disciplined, but perhaps the biggest red flag Cherki waves is that there have been numerous reports of attitudinal issues over the years, with claims that he has had spats with former managers at Lyon while causing problems in the dressing room and on the training pitch.

There are also questions about his work rate off the ball, and he certainly isn’t the kind of player who seems to hustle and bustle everywhere when out of possession. That alone would make a move to Palace seem slightly strange – Glasner likes his teams to press hard and consistently, after all. The statistics however, do suggest that Cherki is responsible for a healthy enough number of tackles and turnovers, and it may be that the occasional flounce, combined with his reputation, leads people to see a player working less than he actually does.

Either way, signing Cherki is probably not a slam dunk. There is an enormous amount of ability there but it needs refining and honing and if the reports concerning his personality aren’t exaggerated, then that process may not be straightforward. Any deal may also be complicated by L’Equipe’s claim that Cherki is not, at the moment, interested in moving to Palace or Fulham – apparently he would prefer to wait and see if a bigger side comes in first, or if a deal with PSG can be rekindled.

That doesn’t necessarily rule Palace out, but there are plenty of asterisks next to this rumour and it could easily be the type of deal which comes back to bite the club if they did manage to get it over the line. On the other hand, if Cherki does a little personal and professional development, he would be one of the most naturally gifted players ever to grace the turf of Selhurst Park. From a neutral perspective, at least, it would be a fascinating spectacle to watch.