Transfer Deadline Day

 

The drama that was ‘Transfer Deadline Day’ threw up many surprises, not least the loan move for Falcao to Manchester United.

There was the usual twists and turns but above all, Crystal Palace came out of deadline day with some promising deals. Signings that could prove to be very helpful in our bid to become a stabilised Premier League side.

Ever since Tony Pulis left we had been crying out for some reinforcements and on deadline day we got them in the shape of Zeki Fryers, James McArthur and Kevin Doyle. However, the big question is, are they the right fit for this current Palace team?

Zeki Fryers

The much travelled Zeki Fryers was signed from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth around £3 million even though it went down as undisclosed. The left back position has been a problematic area for the Eagles but this guy could solve it. At a young age, this player has certainly moved around and has yet to settle at a club long enough to progress. I hope Palace can provide him with that.

He began his career at Manchester United before moving on to Standard Liege in Belgium. He returned to England with a spell at White Hart Lane. Last season he made 16 appearances for Spurs which is not a bad contribution considering the talent they have in their squad.

Fryers has also represented England at youth level, making six appearances while playing for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson.

With his age, he is certainly one for the future. He is at the right place, a club that has a knack of producing great young talent such as Wilfried Zaha and Victor Moses. He arrives with a certain amount of pedigree so we can but hope that he can do the business for us.

James McArthur

Our next signing from Wigan Athletic excites me the most. We needed another body in midfield, one that can create chances for our exciting players upfront.

It is reported that Crystal Palace broke their transfer record for this signing. Although it was officially listed as an undisclosed fee, it is irrelevant as it could well be another shrewd signing, similar to that of Joe Ledley last January. McArthur is most known for his time at Wigan where he enjoyed spells in the Premier League and also picked up an FA Cup winners medal. He has experience, which is great.

Here are a few interesting statistics from his final season with Wigan in the Championship;

  • 1309 general passes (1102 successful)
  • 153 headed passes (80 successful)
  • 222 long passes (138 successful)
  • 78% pass completion rate

This is a very good return and hopefully he can continue this form in the heart of Palace’s midfield for the next game against Burnley. With this arrival it does give Warnock the scope to tinker around with his midfield. McArthur is of the same ilk of Mile Jedinak, a combative, energetic player. Those two could complement each other well. I have always felt that Joe Ledley is better in a more forward position. At Celtic he was the driving force of their team. I would like to see that happen at Palace.

Overall this is a great signing which gives us another dimension in midfield and one that we were lacking.

Kevin Doyle

The last signing on deadline day was Kevin Doyle, a very experienced player but could this acquisition come under the ‘panic buy’ bracket?

It was a feature of our weekly ‘Progress Report’. I did not want to see panic buys, players that we could just snap up purely because they are available on the market. In my mind, Doyle falls under that category.

There is no doubting his experience, he has played in the Premier League and at the European Championships for the Republic of Ireland. He arrives from Wolverhampton Wanderers in League One and the Premier League has changed dramatically since he was last plying his trade in it.

Another obvious question is will he compliment what we already have upfront? With Marouane Chamakh, Dwight Gayle and Frazier Campbell we have options. Players that can and I feel will offer more than Kevin Doyle.

He might still prove to be a good signing, he could score a bucket load of goals, be the star player and steer us on to Premier League establishment, but I cannot see that happening.

With these additions I can see us kicking on and pushing up the table, a few more in January could well cement ourselves in the Premier League. It certainly is exciting times for Palace.

 

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