Crystal Palace: 'Frustration' now for Patrick Vieira at Selhurst Park | OneFootball

Crystal Palace’s board ‘weren’t overly impressed’ with Patrick Vieira’s debut Premier League campaign at Selhurst Park, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has told GiveMeSport.

Tension appears to be building in south London with the Eagles yet to make any signings this month.

Crystal Palace transfer news – January window

Crystal Palace are one of the few Premier League sides yet to make any signings during the January transfer window, and opinions appear to be split on whether that will change before next week’s deadline.

While Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport that the Eagles were never planning on spending much this month, fellow journalist Ryan Taylor warned that a lack of signings would elevate tensions between manager Vieira and the Palace board.

Vieira has made little secret of his desire to see signings arrive as his Palace side find themselves taking up the role of ‘best of the worst’ in the Premier League – well clear of relegation bother, and yet still five points short of making it into the top half of the table.

The Athletic, Vieira told reporters that it was ‘in the hands of the club’ to bring in new players this month, indicating that he shouldn’t be blamed if no new signings arrive.

What has Alex Crook said about Patrick Vieira and the Crystal Palace board?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Crook suggested Vieira will be frustrated with the January transfer window at Palace, but the club’s board will have a few bones of their own to pick – alleging they weren’t entirely happy with how the Eagles’ 2021/22 Premier League campaign panned out.

He told GMS: “I don’t think they’re really under threat of relegation. But they are looking over their shoulders, they’ve not won that many games, and Vieira sees other clubs down there really going for it in the window and Palace aren’t. So I think there is a bit of frustration on his part, and actually I was told the board weren’t overly impressed with what they did in the league last season.”

Where did Crystal Palace finish during the 2021/22 Premier League season?

Palace ended last season in 12th place, with 48 points from 38 games. They actually drew the most outings of any team in the division (15), and were around the middle of the pack for both goals scored and goals conceded.

That was two places higher than Palace’s finish during the 2020/21 season – their final campaign under Roy Hodgson – which makes news of the board’s apathy towards Vieira’s debut term a little surprising.

Not only did the former Arsenal captain improve results, but he managed to do so while adopting a more attractive style of football and incorporating a number of young players after several established veterans – such as Gary Cahill, Andros Townsend and Scott Dann – all left the club on free transfers.

Palace averaged more shots per game and more possession during Vieira’s first season than Hodgson’s last according to Whoscored. Perhaps they could have ended up a little higher in the table considering Newcastle and Wolves finished above them, but on the whole it was a very successful transition campaign.