Deadline Day has been and gone, the focus now is very much on consolidation in the Premier League.
After a new £5.1bn TV deal announced for the next three seasons an increasing amount of money will be available for the club making the job of staying in the Promised Land is even more important; allowing the club to potentially hit heights the fans have never previously seen.
I’m digressing a tad though as what I really want to talk about is our signings and where they will fit into the team in the wider scheme of things. Out of the clubs fighting for relegation this season, we were the most active with West Brom bringing in good players as well as Leicester but it remains to be seen whether it will save them.
Alan Pardew has identified areas where we needed improvement and to give him credit, he filled in those gaps. The Eagles are nearly back to full strength now with Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie returning from international duty, leaving one question being posed: what is Pardew’s best eleven?
At this moment in time, I don’t believe Pardew knows who is best eleven is. I think this team will be very close to it:
We have options across the entire squad in various positions with players able to come off the bench and offer something different to the game.
The area that has improved since the start of the window is the defence; I believe that the addition of Pape Souare will help in terms of helping to balance the team with the former Lille player having a natural left foot. Martin Kelly has filled in at that position over recent weeks and at times the shape alongside the balance of the team has become a bit disjointed, but I don’t think he has done a bad job.
Kelly is a proper defender, I watched him at Liverpool and I always thought he will be a centre back, and I feel that is where he will end up at Palace. Scott Dann and Kelly could turn out to be a great partnership.
The midfield should remain the same, with the trio of Mile Jedinak, James McArthur and Joe Ledley. But further up the pitch you begin to have problems. To compensate the three midfield generals you have to sacrifice an attacking player – choosing what one is what I found most difficult.
On his current form I wouldn’t drop Jason Puncheon but then on the other hand I think Marouane Chamakh has qualities which go unnoticed. I have opted for Chamakh upfront, which is not his best position, I prefer him in the hole, but to get our two most exciting wingers on the pitch I think it is necessary.
In Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, we have with a bit of fine tuning, two players that could take this club to uncharted territory. They get you off your seats; they run at people, they make things happen. It’s the type of player Pardew likes; you cannot leave them out in my opinion.
This is my take, obviously I’m no Pardew, he will know his squad better than anybody – with the signings he has made, the squad has become stronger.
It’s now up to him to utilise those properly and take his beloved Palace to the next level.
