Back in 2015, Alan Pardew oversaw the permanent return of Wilfried Zaha at Crystal Palace, after his move to Manchester United turned sour.
The Ivory Coast international was given just 28 minutes of Premier League action by David Moyes, and a £3m return to Selhurst Park followed.
Now, Patrick Vieira could solve a major issue at Crystal Palace by completing a similar deal for the struggling Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
What’s the story?
Well, just like Zaha, Wan-Bissaka has found life difficult after swapping south London for Manchester.
The £50m man doesn’t appear to have convinced Ralf Rangnick, who left him on the bench in three successive Premier League games against Burnley, Southampton and Brighton recently.
Diogo Dalot has seen plenty of action under the German, and with the right-back department a real issue for Vieira, a move for Wan-Bissaka would be wise.
The £83,000-a-week man has seen the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters play for England before he has, as well as fellow Crystal Palace Academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell.
Therefore, Wan-Bissaka – who admitted he still supports Crystal Palace – may be keen to return to SE25 to refocus his career.
Crystal Palace need Aaron Wan-Bissaka
As things stand, a new right-back should arguably be top of Vieira’s summer wishlist.
Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne are currently fighting for the position, but they are aged 32 and 30 respectively, so a long-term option is needed.
Nathan Ferguson was signed to be that man, but his injury issues are seemingly quite severe – he has only made one appearance since arriving in July 2020.
It will cost a lot to sign Wan-Bissaka, but the long-term benefits of such a move are hard to ignore.
Should a move materialise, the Eagles would have Wan-Bissaka, Marc Guèhi, Joachim Anderson and Mitchell as their backline, a defence fit for purpose across the next five years, at least.
For Vieira, it will surely be difficult to resist the temptation of a bid.
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