Crystal Palace had the worst possible start to the season. After the first seven-game weeks, the team was sitting on zero points having lost all seven matches. It eventually led to the sacking of manager Frank De Boer and the Dutchman was replaced by Roy Hodson. The change did not have an immediate effect but the big turnaround came with a win against champions Chelsea.
Five wins and seven draws in the league under Hodgson has considerably improved the club and they are now 14th in the league having collected 22 points from 22 games.The Palace players who had been inconsistent and unimpressive, to say the least, are showing signs of hard work and churning out decent performances. As was proven with his return, missing Christian Benteke was not the only reason for the club suffering this season as even after his comeback, the Belgian has not been able to replicate his old form.
Their midfield leaders Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur had been poor and naturally despite having some fast attackers like Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend in the side there was not enough supply of balls for them to play with. The concern in the attack has now been resolved with the team’s attention turning towards the defence.
Scott Dann, an integral member of the Crystal Palace team has suffered a serious injury and is possibly facing a nightmare situation of spending the rest of the season on the sidelines. To further complicate matters, his defensive partner, Mamadou Sakho, Crystal Palace’s expensive £26 million summer signing from Liverpool also faces time on the sidelines. However, Sakho’s calf strain injury is not that serious and the ex-Liverpool man is expected to return soon.
Hodgson who had previously claimed that defensive signing was not his priority might have changed his stance following the latest injuries. In this light, it is being reported that Crystal Palace are interested in the signature of Ibrahim Amadou. The Cameroon-born defender currently plies his trade for French side Lille. He was subjected to a transfer bid from Crystal Palace last summer.
However, the concerned clubs failed to come to an agreement over the defender’s transfer fee and the move was scrapped. It would seem that given the situation at Palace now, Hodgson would want to rekindle his club’s interest in the defender. The 24-year old is likely to cost Palace around 16 million pounds and although he can play as a defensive midfielder as well, Hodgson is likely to use him to plug the hole in his defence.
