This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has issued a rallying cry to club chairman Steve Parish over the need for new signings in the January transfer window.
The former England manager has done a fine job so far this season having spent less than £5m in the summer window, guiding his side to tenth place – just seven points off the Champions League positions – while also overseeing six clean sheets from 16 Premier League outings, the second-most in the division.
However, the 72-year-old has seen his squad hit hard by injuries recently, as Joel Ward, Patrick van Aanholt and Jeffrey Schlupp have ended up on the treatment table – all of whom are amongst the only natural senior options to take up the full-back roles.
What did he say?
As reported by The Evening Standard, Hodgson said: “The January transfer window is a very fluid time. Things are happening, things are changing, clubs are looking to shuffle the pack, to improve their squads or allow players who aren’t getting many games to go. It’s a very interesting time.
“A club like ourselves really do need to be on the front foot to take advantage of anything that is going.
“We need to add rather than detract.”
Another cry for Steve Parish to add new faces
This isn’t the first time that the former Liverpool manager has put pressure on Palace officials to get active in the transfer market this January.
Back in September, Hodgson said that he was “hoping” the Eagles would “put right” the club’s lack of depth in other areas of the pitch away from the centre-back areas, while he was discussing how strong the centre of defence was.
“It’s a great pity we don’t have that luxury and amount of choice [that we do at the back] in other areas because it would help us enormously had we had that. But that is something I’m hoping, from the club’s point of view, can be put right in the January transfer window.”
As aforesaid, that was back in September when the campaign was just over a month old, so the fact that Hodgson was going on about transfers then and is still talking about them now serves to suggest that he truly is desperate for those above him to get their chequebooks out and bolster the playing staff before him.
In other news, Crystal Palace have a serious conundrum on their hands over this player who was once likened to Yohan Cabaye…
