Dan Cook has claimed on the HLTCO podcast that Patrick Vieira wishes to improve the centre of midfield.
Crystal Palace have not yet been very active in the transfer market, managing to bring in just two new faces, but neither of them will help bolster the centre of midfield – an area of the pitch Vieira is said to be keen on improving, according to Cook.
This is not much of a surprise considering they have already lost last summer’s loanee arrival Conor Gallagher and now-free agent Cheikhou Kouyate, while Luka Milivojevic is linked with a move to Fulham.
If Vieira wanted to improve the midfield department before these departures, he will need serious backing to do so now, as Cook spoke about.
He said: “You look at our midfield going into the new season, we’ve lost Conor Gallagher, who we had on loan from Chelsea last year, Cheikhou Kouyate has departed the football club having failed to agree a contract extension, then you throw Luka Milivojevic into the mix as a third central midfielder.
Have Palace done enough transfer business?
Yes!
No!
“I know for a fact that Patrick Vieira wanted more midfield beef, and of course, Cheick Doucoure is seemingly arriving – as much as the Home Office wants to delay that – but I don’t think he’s going to want to go into the new season with fewer bodies in central midfield than we ended the last campaign with.”
TIF Thoughts on Palace’s midfield…
Looking at Palace’s current midfield options, it certainly doesn’t make for pleasant viewing, as James McCarthur is set to miss the start of the season and Milivojevic has been linked with a move away, which leaves Jairo Riedewald and Will Hughes as their only first-team options.
However, they are seemingly edging ever closer to the signing of Doucoure from RC Lens, with just a work permit holding up any potential deal, which will certainly please Vieira. But with the season now just a few weeks away, Palace will surely be very active as the window draws to a close.