Our weekly look at the news stories in the media involving Palace which includes a review of the pre-season action and a few transfer rumours.
Pre-Season
Last weekend Alan Pardew took a squad out to South Africa to take part in the Cape Town Cup. The first game was a 4-0 win over Supersport United courtesy of goals from Jedinak, Mutch, Lee and Campbell. While the Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper was man of the match in the final, Palace lost 2-0 in a game that both Patrick Bamford and Alex McCarthy made their debuts.
A Palace XI beat Bromley 6-0 on Thursday evening with goals from KaiKai, Bamford (3), Gayle and Zaha but it will be the loan striker from Chelsea that will take the plaudits.
Two more games remain before the big kick off – Fulham (a) on Saturday and Dagenham (a) on Monday.
Loyalty Scheme
The club have announced details of the scheme for the new season much to the frustration of some fans. It has often been a bone of contention the way that points are awarded and the amount. The news has been much discussed on social media throughout the week. We will have an article going on the site in the next few days about the loyalty scheme but you can find out full details on the official club website.
Loan Deals
Youth players Ryan Inniss and Jerome Binnom-Williams have secured season long loan deals with Port Vale and Burton Albion respectively.
Connor Wickham
Breaking news on Thursday evening that Palace were reported to have had a bid for Sunderland striker Wickham accepted by Sky Sports and other media outlets. It sounds very much as though it is now down to the player to agree personal terms. We will watch this one with interest in the coming days.
Transfer Rumours
The Welsh international defender still tops the rumour list for Palace as Swans manager Garry Monk has made it clear that his captain will not be going anywhere. Another striker that has been linked with the club, Rudy Gestede of Blackburn Rovers, is the subject of string interest from Aston Villa who have money to burn. Argentine defender Fabricio Coloccini continues to be linked to his former boss Alan Pardew as is Southampton’s Jose Fonte.
There is still plenty of media talk about Yannick Bolasie and a move away from Selhurst Park but the suggestions are that he is happy to stay but that will be tested should a club come in with an official offer. Menwahile, Hull City defender James Chester has signed for West Bromwich Albion ending any interest Palace may have had.
Squad Numbers
The numbers that the players will don on the back of their shirts during the 2015/16 Premier League season have been released. You can see the full list in our article.
Gold Cup
Adrian Mariappa and his Jamaica team-mates lost 3-1 in the final of the Gold Cup last weekend but it was an excellent showing from the Reggae Boyz throughout the international tournament held in the USA. They became the first Caribbean nation to reach the final of the competition.
