Palace’s new signings are yet to give the club a shot in the arm, but there’s still time.
Crystal Palace’s Damien Delaney and Jeffrey Schlupp look dejected after the game
It’s been two weeks since the transfer window slammed shut, and on paper, Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce filled the gaps that the Eagles needed to fill.
Building from the back was clearly the plan, as defenders Patrick van Aanholt and Mamadou Sakho both arrived, while defensive midfielder Luka Milivojevic and left wing back Jeffrey Schlupp were also signed.
Despite this, Allardyce isn’t having much luck making Palace solid. In the matches since the window closed, Palace have shipped five goals in two games – including four at home to relegation rivals Sunderland – and sit in the bottom three with only superior goal difference keeping them off the bottom.
It’s very much still too early to make a proper judgement on Palace’s January transfers, even if they failed to help much in the games since they’ve arrived. The Eagles created little in their 1-0 defeat at Stoke City, but looked more defensively stable with Milivojevic in the side, who made his debut that day, while Sakho could be a big addition. Getting those defensive players contributing to a tighter backline should be top of Big Sam’s list of things to do.
Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe talks to Crystal Palace’s Patrick van Aanholt
Meanwhile, Schlupp’s arrival in particular can change things going forward, with the versatile left sided man adding another dimension to Palace’s attack, as well as taking pressure off star player Wilfried Zaha.
The new signings haven’t kick-started Palace’s season just yet, but the potential is there to do so.
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