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Chelsea striker Loïc Rémy was deemed surplus to requirements this summer and loaned to Crystal Palace for the 2016-17 season, where he had hoped that a reunion with his former Newcastle boss, Alan Pardew, would help him make an impact in the Premier League once again. Alas, four months into the season, he’s yet to play a single minute and he remains at least two-to-three weeks away from doing so.
Rémy has had a history of injury problems, but when fit, he’s an excellent finisher. The nine goals he scored two seasons ago played a crucial role in Chelsea winning a league and League Cup Double. Disappointingly, he followed up with only a single league goal last season and he often found himself injured just when we needed him to deputize for Costa.
The arrival of Michy Batshuayi in the summer made Rémy expendable, but with no team willing to take on his wages (his Chelsea contract runs through next season), a loan move to Palace was arranged. Pardew’s team paid €1m for the privilege, but things went wrong almost immediately as Rémy picked up a knee injury less than a week after signing. That was supposed to keep him out for two months, but now it’s been at least three and there’s still a ways to go.
“Loic’s still two or three weeks away from training with us I think. It’s been a long process with Loic, which is disappointing for us.”
With Christian Benteke scoring goals for Crystal Palace, the unavailability of Rémy was manageable, but Connor Wickham’s recent long-term injury leaves Pardew in a touch of bother.
“With Connor out now and Loic – two big strikers for us – it’s having an impact. So it will be nice to see him around us.”
-Alan Pardew; source: West London Sport
Rémy has made just six appearances in the 2016 calendar year, all with Chelsea, with the last one ending in a 23rd minute groin strain as Chelsea beat Aston Villa 4-0 in early April. It’s been a long and no doubt frustrating road for the 29-year-old former French international; hopefully he can recover some semblance of his previous successes.