According to Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew, the Eagles now have the potential to challenge any team in the Premier League, that are outside the ‘top 4.’
Speaking on Sunday following their loss to Portuguese side Sporting, the former Newcastle boss said:
“We can compete with any team below the tier of the top four when we have our full team available,”
“The important thing for us is how our injury record is going to maintain because last season we had hardly any injuries to our key players.
“If we keep our key players fit that’s going to be essential for us and we can compete against anyone below the top four when we have our full team,” Pardew told Reuters.
“What we are trying to do now is strengthen our squad so that the players that come in do not weaken us. That is the direction our recruitment is going to take.”
Pardew’s summer signings at Selhurst Park have been branded as ‘savvy’ by the English media. However, the English manager still wants to make a couple additions to his squad, to give them the best chance of challenging as they can have.
As Palace lost 2-0 to Sporting on Sunday, new signings Yohan Cabaye, Alex McCarthy and Patrick Bamford were all used. When talking about competition, Pardew said he was delighted by the intensity shown by his side, despite the loss.
Prior to Pardew taking over at Palace, worry was on the lips of many. However, the manager came in and freshened up the place and gave the Palace fans something to cheer about as they went on to have a top-10 finish in the league.
