‘I’d say to Patrick’: Ray Houghton shares his ‘only worry’ for Vieira as Crystal Palace boss

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Ray Houghton has told the Express that his ‘only worry’ for Patrick Vieira as the new Crystal Palace manager will be the question marks over his available transfer budget this summer.

The Eagles appointed Vieira as Roy Hodgson’s replacement on a three-year contract last week. He arrives at Selhurst Park after previous spells in charge of Nice and New York City FC, but has been out of the game since the Ligue 1 outfit fired him in December.

Vieira won 31 of his 77 top-flight games with the Allianz Riviera outfit, before leaving with the club 11th in the table and bowing out of the Europa League. Crystal Palace will hope the Arsenal icon can now build on the work of Hodgson, who retired after four years at the club.

But Houghton is concerned his former side will not have the funds available for Vieira to take Crystal Palace forward. Noting how the Eagles only spent considerably last summer when they paid Queens Park Rangers £19.5m for Eberechi Eze.

“My only worry for Patrick is how much money is going to be available to him and Palace when it comes to the transfer fees,” Houghton said. “If you look at Roy over the last two or three seasons, he wasn’t really buying anyone.

“He bought Eze from QPR, but there were not really anymore – he really was reliant on a free transfer here or there. He didn’t have the funds, but he got them into a really good shape. So, I’d say to Patrick that he doesn’t need to do an awful lot different.”

Crystal Palace already spending under Vieira

Crystal Palace have already made the first signing of the Vieira era by spending £8m on Reading forward Michael Olise. The 19-year-old arrives at Selhurst Park after lighting up the Championship last season with seven goals and 12 assists.

Olise represents a bright start to Vieira’s tenure, and will want to ease Houghton’s concerns by building on it. The Arsenal icon already has some tasty weapons at his disposal in Eze and Wilfried Zaha, if he can keep the Ivorian in south London this summer.

What the Eagles need is to now offer Vieira the funds to keep bringing players in. Hodgson named the nine squads with the highest average age and 17 of the top 18 in the Premier League last season, ranging from 29.8-years to 30.5, so the team clearly needs refreshing.