Crystal Palace made a £8m bid for Genoa midfielder Tomas Rincon as they look to wrap up a couple of deals quickly with the transfer window approaching its end. According to reports, the Eagles have initially bid £6.5m with further add-ons. With Mile Jedinak leaving Palace for Aston Villa earlier this month Rincon would be the perfect replacement for the Australia international.
Crystal Palace have made some impressive signings this summer with the capture of Christian Benteke for £27m being the highlight. Pardew had moved to bolster his attacking options pretty early when he signed Andros Townsend from Newcastle United for £13m. Alan Pardew continued to be backed strongly as the Eagles, somewhat surprisingly, forked out £10m for James Tomkins. And to add to that the signing of Steve Mandanda on a free and the latest signing of Loic Remy on loan makes up for a very good looking transfer window indeed. But they have lost Bolasie to Everton and with doubts regarding Wilfred Zaha’s future, the signings don’t look like such a luxury anymore.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Palace have flattered to deceive thus far and despite having a competitive squad at his disposal, Pardew has failed to set-up them in a manner which would enable the players to express themselves fully. And the manager has until tomorrow to sort out the areas he needs to tweak in order to steady the faltering Eagle’s ship which has managed to collect a solitary point from their trio of matches thus far.
Their latest bid for the Venezuela captain suggests that Pardew is looking at instilling leadership and much needed grit in the defensive midfield area. He hasn’t been able to provide Yohan Cabaye with a proper foil who would complement the more attack-minded former PSG player. The team has looked disjointed and bears the look of two different defensive and attacking units.
Rincon’s previous major appearance was at Hamburg where he spent 5-years and made 106 appearances before switching to Genoa in 2014.
His versatile nature will come in handy with the long and arduous season ahead of them. Primarily being a defensive midfield player, his dribbling skills are deceptively good. He can play at right-back as well, thereby increasing the manager’s options. He is a natural tackler and also has good control with the ball at his feet. The 28-year old can screen the defence with his robust approach and at his age will bring much needed experience and leadership qualities. With his current contract due to run till 2018, Palace are potentially looking at a budget signing with the transfer value quoted.
They are also interested in Jack Wilshere of Arsenal and if the deal fails to materialise, Rincon could be a valuable addition.
