Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace: Townsend not set to be offered new contract

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Image for Crystal Palace: Townsend not set to be offered new contract

Despite only missing four games in the Premier League last season, Dan Cook has been discussing how Andros Townsend’s time at Crystal Palace seems to be up on the latest episode of the HLTCO podcast.

Townsend spoke on an ITV Sport podcast earlier this summer, alongside now-Palace manager, Patrick Vieira, where he joked about seeing the Frenchman in July for pre-season.

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Reports have claimed that despite being expected to sign a new deal to remain at Selhurst Park, the 29-year-old is now expected to look for pastures new this summer.

The winger was signed by the Eagles in the summer of 2016 following Newcastle United’s relegation to the Championship and despite only being at St. James’ Park for half the season, Townsend jumped ship back into the Premier League.

It may have been a case of Vieira wanting to take the club in a different direction without Townsend and that’s something Cook discussed.

He said: “Andros Townsend is a player that it seems will not be renewing a contract at Crystal Palace. It’s a little bit awkward given the conversations he had on the ITV Sport podcast with Patrick Vieira before the Frenchman had been announced as Crystal Palace’s new manager about a potential deal, but it seems as though one isn’t necessarily forthcoming from the football club.

“That’s a decision that will have been made by everybody – it won’t just be a case of Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman trying to bend or twist Patrick Vieira’s arm – it will probably be a case of different targets being identified in the wide areas as players that Vieira would far rather have at the football club.”

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Townsend is a big player to lose given his Premier League experience of 243 appearances in the competition, but if Vieira is going to target more players like the recently-signed Michael Olise from Reading, it clearly signals a new era at the club.

In the past, Townsend has said that he already has offers from clubs other than Palace with some coming from abroad, something that he and his wife would not be against as he claimed during an interview with TalkSport.

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