Christian Benteke has confirmed that he is happy at Crystal Palace, despite being linked with a move away in January. Christian Benteke also outlined why interest in him in January did not go any further as he made his stance clear over his future, having signed a contract extension at Palace earlier this season.
The Belgian striker was linked with a move away from south London in the January transfer window, after emerging as a target for his old club Aston Villa, who are currently in the bottom three in the Premier League and looking to try and avoid relegation. Benteke was surprisingly linked with Tottenham following the injury to Harry Kane, which ruled the England striker out for several months and left Spurs without a recognised striker, with a further injury to Son Heung-min then compounding matters for Jose Mourinho’s men. But Benteke stayed put at Palace and ended his goal drought in February with his first Premier League goal since April 2019 as he scored for the Eagles in a 3-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park. And now, Benteke has spoken out about the reported interest in him from other clubs in January, with the striker speaking to Belgian publication La Meuse.
Christian Benteke said “I take the interest of both those clubs as recognition. Here, people are decent: they know you’re a good player, that you can bring something extra. Everyone goes through complicated moments without it putting their value in doubt. In England, all the parameters are taken into consideration, which goes beyond the number of goals scored. The number of aerial duels won is where I’m quite good. The pressure I put on the opposition defence, playing with my back to goal, the player’s professionalism, how he fits in a system: all that comes into play, starting from the principle that a player’s quality doesn’t evaporate. Because I needed stability, especially with the kids. Plus, I’m really happy at Crystal Palace.”
