Rickie Lambert has emerged as an early transfer target for the new Crystal Palace manager, Alan Pardew. Pardew is anxious to bolster his strike force in the January window and has inquired about the availability of the Liverpool forward, who he signed for Southampton from Bristol Rovers in 2009. Liverpool are keen to retain Lambert despite his difficult start at Anfield but whether Pardew will drop his interest in the 32-year-old remains to be seen. The England international made only his 10th start of the season for his boyhood club in Monday’s FA Cup win at AFC Wimbledon. The striker has had to adjust from a regular starting role to a substitutes’ berth since his £4.5m summer move from Southampton and recently admitted that was the wrong mindset with which to start his Liverpool career. Lambert has scored twice for Brendan Rodgers’ team this season, at Palace in the Premier League and against Ludogorets in the Champions League, but having made a breakthrough with six consecutive starts has returned to the bench since the manager adopted a 3-4-2-1 formation with Raheem Sterling leading the attack. Liverpool want to increase their forward options in January, not diminish them by allowing Lambert to leave so quickly, but attempts to advance Divock Origi’s £9.8m transfer from Lille, scheduled for the summer, are being resisted by the French club despite the offer of a premium on the fee. -MW
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 08:06:41 +0000