There was little as bizarre as hearing that Yohan Cabaye was on his way to Selhurst Park this summer.
The French midfielder was last seen in this country fleeing for the riches and trophies of Paris Saint Germain, but a poor time in the French capital resulted in the ex-Newcastle man calling for a return to England and, most bizarrely, Alan Pardew.
Cabaye’s arrival means more than a normal signing and means more than just a positive for Palace, but it is one of several big signings in the league. A player of Cabaye’s calibre to a club who have yoyo’ed somewhat is a real statement of intent and a huge boost to Alan Pardew’s tenure at the club.
The ambition associated with the signing has had Palace fans dreaming of building on their impressive season last time around. Obviously, the club will always be thinking of making their name seen on the far bigger stage of European football, but not often will it be a realistic proposition.
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First off, Palace have kept their chances of European football next season by retaining all of their best players. Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon both faced interest from other sides whilst Scott Dann could easily have moved.
As London rivals, West Ham, begin to build a squad of great talent, Palace will be seeing them as their main rivals for the ‘best of the rest’.
Pardew’s decision to swap the sleeping giants of Newcastle for Crystal Palace raised a few eyebrows, despite his broken relationship with the Magpie fanbase, but his immediate success in London immediately vindicated his decision and he looks all set to take his side to the next level.
It is easy to forget of Pardew’s relative success in the north-east, as he took Newcastle to European football and briefly made the toon army love their football again. ‘Pards’ now has the quality at his disposal to mount a European challenge again and with the way that Yohan Cabaye can orchestrate centrally, the pace of Bakary Sako, Jason Puncheon, Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie becomes a frightening proposition for any side facing the Eagles: Just ask Chelsea.
Defensively, the base of Scott Dann and Joel Ward is secure and, in reality, the biggest concern could be having a striker who will score enough to compete with the big boys. Connor Wickham’s addition was a bit out of the blue but his goal record leaves a lot to be desired, perhaps Pardew is hoping the electric pace around him will cause enough havoc to score the goals themselves.
Patrick Bamford, who was brilliant in the Championship last season, could be one answer to this potential issue and his support for Wickham will be crucial throughout the campaign.
Unfortunately, if there was a proven goal scorer up front it would make all the difference for Palace. If Charlie Austin had been brought in, as he should have, the Eagles would be real contenders for Europe.
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