Football: Coppell offers Brolin week's trial at Palace

Tomas Brolin, whose four goals for Leeds United cost more than pounds 1m each, has been offered the chance to return to English football with Crystal Palace.

The former Swedish international, who will be 28 at the end of this month, was a pounds 4.2m disaster at Leeds, scoring four goals in 27 appearances. Yet he has been invited to Palace for a trial, and if he can impress the manager, Steve Coppell, and persuade him that his attitude is right, a permanent move could be on the cards.

"Steve Coppell has invited Brolin over for a week," a Palace official said. "He wants to see what the player's attitude is like and a permanent deal is not out of the question."

Palace went to Sweden to play a friendly during the break in the Premiership programme and Coppell was hoping to finalise the offer of a trial while he was there.

Brolin, who now plays for Stockholm-based Hammerby, was written off by Leeds earlier this season after he fell out with their manager, George Graham. The Elland Road club lost every penny of the pounds 4.2m Brolin cost from Parma two years ago. Leeds saved pounds 420,000 in wages by freeing Brolin from his contract before it was up in June. They cut their losses to avoid an FA hearing over the massive fines slapped on the player for a string of disputes with the club.

He was fined after missing training and a reserve game against Liverpool to go to his father's 50th birthday party, and for a newspaper outburst against Graham.

Brolin, who was signed by Howard Wilkinson, last played for Leeds' first team against Chelsea almost 18 months ago.