Crystal Palace prospect linked with League One loan stint

Crystal Palace’s 18-year-old midfielder Scott Banks is being linked with a move to Rochdale as reported by Alan Nixon.

Brian Barry-Murphy’s side are amongst the favourites for the drop in League One this season, and were comfortably beaten at Swindon in their opening fixture yesterday. They’re eager to bring in reinforcements after losing the likes of Callum Camps over the summer, with Banks seemingly high on their list of targets.

The midfielder came through the ranks at Dundee United, spending five years in their academy before progressing to a professional contract. He didn’t make a senior appearance at first, but he did have a successful loan spell with Clyde, where his endeavour helped them to promotion in 2019.

Last season he made one Scottish Championship outing for the Terrors, as well as three League Cup appearance, before being snapped up by Palace. They then loaned him back out to Alloa, but his spell there was cut short courtesy of the pandemic. Banks is also a Scottish Under 19 international and has two years left on his existing Palace deal.

Banks is a versatile attacking midfielder, who can operate on the right-wing, as well as in the central areas. Whilst he wouldn’t be a natural successor to Camps, he would add something to the Rochdale attack that is sorely needed, based on yesterday’s result.

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Our View

Scott Banks has a lot of potential, but he needs English league experience to help him develop. Rochdale would be a good fit too; having played at Scottish Championship level, League One would be comparable, if not a step up.

As an 18-year-old, the next few years are crucial to his development as a player and exposure to senior football, not the slightly softer Under 23 league, is surely something he’ll relish. It is hard for a young player to go back to U23 competition having been in the senior game, so a move to Dale would seem wise al round.

If Palace are to see him emerge as a first-team player, then they will be eager for him to go to a club where he will play a role, as he began to at Alloa last season.