In contrast to the worst signings made by the club since 2013, Crystal Palace have made some very important signings which have seen the likes of Jason Puncheon and Scott Dann become heroes in the past three years. Out of the 58 players who have moved to SE25 since the club were promoted, here are the five players who have stood out the most.
The Best Crystal Palace signings since 2013
Cameron Jerome
Cameron Jerome joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan from Stoke City in 2013, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Mark Hughes. The strong centre forward, who was one of Ian Holloway’s last signings for the club before he was sacked, had to wait until 7th December to register his first goal for the club. He waited even longer for his second, which came in an away victory at high-flying Everton in April and effectively guaranteed Premier League safety for Palace.
In 29 appearances, Jerome managed to score just two goals, but it was the other features of his game that makes him one of the club’s better signings since promotion. He produced some excellent hold-up play throughout the campaign and his pace played a vital role in the counter attacking Palace side alongside Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie.
The striker defended from the front, chasing down every ball, and will be best-remembered for his performance in the 1-0 home victory against Chelsea, when he ran the back line ragged all afternoon. At the end of the season, his loan ended and no further interest was taken, but had the striker managed to improve on his goal scoring form, things may have been different.
Jason Puncheon
On the 21st of August 2013, Jason Puncheon signed for newly-promoted Crystal Palace on loan, a dream move for the boy who grew up in South London. The English midfielder enjoyed a very successful first season for the club, scoring crucial goals in the latter stages of the campaign to ensure safety was secured for the club. He struck twice as Palace won a vital relegation six-pointer in Cardiff, and also scored in an away victory at Everton to all but secure his side’s survival in the Premier League. He ended the season with seven goals from 34 appearances.
In the following three seasons, the creative midfielder was a constant figure in the team, consistently averaging above 30 league appearances per year, and was an influential member both on and off the pitch. His goal scoring form did begin to dry up, however, and last season he failed to register a single goal in his 36 matches.
In what was a huge honour for the Palace man, Sam Allardyce gave him the captain’s arm band for the second half of the season; a fantastic moment for the local boy who claimed the privilege was an extra motivation to achieve success. After securing Premier League survival against Hull City on May the 14th, Puncheon visited the fans at the pub after the game to celebrate survival.
If he can regain the creative spark that the Palace fans saw in his first few seasons, the boy from South London will thrive under new manager Frank De Boer, who has already made it clear he is in his plans by announcing the captaincy will remain with the midfielder.
Scott Dann
In January 2014, with the club languishing near the bottom of the league, Tony Pulis turned to Blackburn centre-back Scott Dann to sort out his defence. Signed on a three-and-a-half-year deal, he featured in every one of the remaining fixtures of the season, forming a pivotal relationship with Damien Delaney and scoring a vital goal in the away game at Everton.
The following season, Dann made 34 appearances in the league, with him and Delaney continuing to form a strong partnership. At the end of the season, his hard work was rewarded with the club’s player of the year award. In the 2016-17 season, his game time was limited due to injury, playing 23 matches and scoring three goals. Following the sale of Mile Jedinak, he was made club captain and quite rightly; the Englishman has been one of the team’s most consistent performers since he joined.
Wilfred Zaha
Having played a huge role in sending the club to the Premier League in 2013, Wilfried Zaha was signed by Manchester United that summer. Under David Moyes, however, he was never truly given a chance and Palace snapped him up for the start of the 2014-15 season on loan; a deal that delighted all Palace fans.
With Zaha on one flank and Bolasie on the other, the team had become very dangerous on the attack and the tricky winger scored four goals on his return to SE25, famously producing a dramatic equaliser in a 3-3 draw against Newcastle. Since his return, Zaha has been a consistent feature in the first team, worshipped by the fans as the local boy and going onto make his 250th appearance for the club against Southampton; a fantastic achievement for a 24-year-old.
Throughout the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, Zaha was criticised by pundits such as Alan Shearer for a lack of end product. He answered his critics by notching up seven goals and nine assists last season. De Boer has already acknowledged the impact of the winger and he looks set to thrive under the new boss.
Yohan Cabaye
Signed on a three-year deal from Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee, Yohan Cabaye signed for the Eagles in the summer of 2015. Cabaye was considered quite a coup, having left the French giants and Champions League football behind him to re-join Alan Pardew having previously worked with him at Newcastle. The Frenchman scored on his debut in a 3-1 win at Carrow Road.
Palace had started the campaign brilliantly, with the club ending 2015 remarkably sitting in fifth place. Cabaye was pivotal in this run of form, scoring three consecutive penalties against Watford, West Brom and West Ham and putting a delightful cross into the box for Yannick Bolasie’s winner versus the Baggies.
Much like the rest of the team, however, his form diminished in a period which saw the club slip from fifth to 15th in the space of four months, including a run of 14 games without a win. In the FA Cup, however, Palace were unstoppable and a Cabaye penalty versus Reading sent the South Londoners to the semi-final, where they beat Watford before losing in the final.
The following campaign, a poor early start to the season saw manager Alan Pardew dismissed by the club with Sam Allardyce being placed in charge to take the club to safety. In the last few months of the season, Cabaye managed to recreate his form from the previous year, thriving next to Serbian Luka Milivojević in the middle and recording back-to-back assists for the first time since 2012. Over the course of the last two seasons, he has made 74 appearances, scoring ten goals, and looks set to continue with the club under Frank De Boer.
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