Crystal Palace were on the receiving end of a 2-0 loss to Wolves on Friday night, with Roy Hodgson's men uninspiring at Molineux.

It may have been a different story if Palace had been able to get Odsonne Edouard from Celtic back in the summer. Michy Batshuayi's return hasn't ignited more threat in the final third yet, and Christian Benteke continues to be left on the bench as his lack of confidence continues.

  • The Story

According to The Sun's Alan Nixon, Palace are facing a long list of players (13) who are running out of contract next summer, which leaves a problem for Hodgson. 

There are some big decisions to be made in the Palace squad as there are several senior players entering their final months at the club if they don't sign a new contract with the Eagles.

Benteke is one of the players who could be on his way out at Selhurst Park, along with unfavoured Connor Wickham, in the summer. This could allow Palace to go back in for Edouard in the January window, bringing more goals to the team and taking the pressure off star winger, Wilfried Zaha.

  • Could it be goodbye to Benteke?

After his first season at Palace, this thought would not have been popular amongst Eagles fans and they would've called you crazy if you thought that Benteke would be a one-season wonder.

Well, now it doesn't seem too far-fetched, with the Belgian returning 6 league goals since the the 2016/17 season when, during his first season at Palace, he returned 15 goals in the Premier League.

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Palace looked at Edouard as a direct replacement for the misfiring Benteke when they plotted a £25m move for the Frenchman, however, they were immediately turned down by the Scottish champions. It would be foolish to give up the chase this time round, as an unnamed Bundesliga club recently had a bid rejected.

  • Dry goal spell for the Eagles

When chairman Steve Parish embarked on a summer spending spree, Palace fans were excited to witness a change this time around when it came to a fruitful window.

Michy Batshuayi, Eberechi Eze, Nathan Ferguson, Jack Butland and academy graduate, Nathaniel Clyne, arriving has still failed to stop the run of low goal scoring form for the Eagles.

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Batshuayi and Eze have failed to make the attacking impression that they would've wanted so far, whilst talisman Zaha has been firing on all cylinders, scoring five times in six games.

  • Edouard's talents

Zaha needs someone that can share the burden of scoring goals and Edouard is the perfect candidate who can do precisely that for Palace.

The 22-year-old is a remarkable player, shown recently when he scored a hat-trick against Hamilton Academical in August, continuing his fine goal scoring form for the Bhoys.

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Edouard has scored 66 goals in 137 appearances for Celtic. In comparison, Benteke has only scored 23 goals in 118 appearances for Palace.

The chaos he would cause linking up with the likes of Zaha and Eze is unimaginable, he could even play in a two with Batshuayi or Jordan Ayew.

Letting Benteke leave is key to making room for the high-flying Edouard, someone who has proved that he can consistently find the back of the net.

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