Crystal Palace midfielder John Salako has said that Christian Benteke does not deserve a new contract on the basis of his performances for the Eagles. The Belgium international had an impressive debut season with the Eagles during the 2016/17 campaign where he scored 17 goals across all competitions but he has since struggled with form and fitness concerns and has managed just four goals over the past two years.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Salako said that the former Liverpool man has been awful with his displays for a while and he does not deserve a contract extension on the basis of those performances, he told: “There is talk of Benteke getting a new contract and I am just flabbergasted! The lad was incredible at Aston Villa – he was a beast. He also went and did well at Liverpool for a while, but then he got injured and I think he has struggled. But what has happened over the last two or three years of him at Palace – and I don’t like digging him out – he’s been awful. I really feel for the lad to a point because he just can’t do it. It’s like he’s got his boots on the wrong feet.”
Over the past few years, Benteke has been presented with a number of clear-cut chances but the despair of the fans, he has most often fumbled with those opportunities. As such, there has been a mixed reaction towards a renewal for the Belgian but the Eagles could go ahead with the negotiations, particularly with the lack of depth upfront.
Jordan Ayew has jumped ahead of Benteke in the pecking order for the centre-forward role over the past year and to his credit, he has bagged four goals from 32 games. The record does not make for good reading but he has come up with crucial performances including the opening goal during the shock 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford this term.