The decision to hand Christian Benteke is something of a surprise.
The Crystal Palace striker has scored just 21 goals in 98 appearances for the Eagles, including just four goals in the last three seasons.
Palace announced on Thursday night that the club had agreed to hand the striker a one-year contract extension which will take his current deal up to the summer of 2021, but the reason for doing so is what is most surprising.
Speaking to the Crystal Palace website, club chairman Steve Parish credited the new contract for Benteke and defender James Tomkins on 'the levels of performance in recent seasons.
He said: "I’m pleased that agreements have been reached with these two important senior players.
"Both James and Christian bring vast Premier League experience, commitment and professionalism to the squad.
"These new deals show that we recognise their levels of performance in recent seasons, that we believe in both players, and that they are hugely motivated by the direction the club is heading.”
Of course the hope is that Christian Benteke can recapture the sort of form that he showed in his early days with Aston Villa, because if he can then Crystal Palace have a real player on their hands.
