Roy Hodgson pushes Crystal Palace to sign Emmanuel Dennis

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is pushing his club to sign Nottingham Forest forward Emmanuel Dennis.

Daily Express claims that Crystal Palace are keen on Emmanuel Dennis and Hodgson is the one who is driving the Eagles’ interest in him.

It is also thought that the 25-year-old, who played for Watford before joining Forest, wants to return to London this summer.

A move to Selhurst Park would see Dennis link up with Michael Olise, who is now set to remain in south London after signing a new contract.

Dennis is quite a versatile forward, able to play up front and out wide. It could make him quite a useful asset for Palace to have, especially after losing Wilfried Zaha.

Like the Nigeria international, Zaha is also capable of playing in more than one position in attack, something that Palace will miss.

Dennis is a fast and skilful player as well. Speaking about the Forest man a couple of years ago, his former manager Claudio Ranieri told Watford’s official website: “[Dennis] is a very talented player. He’s fast, has good skill, always runs straight to the goal – I love these kinds of players.”

He did not make too much of an impact for Forest last season, scoring just two goals in 19 Premier League appearances under Steve Cooper.

However, back in the 2021/22 campaign, Dennis came up with 16 goal contributions in 33 top-flight outings. It shows that he can be an effective attacker when given the opportunity.

Ultimately, if Hodgson is looking to strengthen his forward line before the transfer window closes next month, Dennis is not a bad player to target. And with the ex-Club Brugge star not being a key figure at the City Ground right now, he should be available.