3 players who could be moving to Crystal Palace this month

After the sacking of Alan Pardew last month it was time for Sam Allardyce to come out of the managerial wilderness after the England debacle and take over the reigns at Crystal Palace. Big Sam is once again trusted with a club with the sole task of making sure they stay up this season.

A task that is not going to be all that simple as Allardyce still searches for his first win since taking charge of The Eagles, results are going to have to improve soon or there is the distinct possibility of the South London side being dragged into the bottom three.

With the former England boss inheriting a squad which although talented has seriously under performed in the first half season he will now look to make the necessary additions to make sure his new employers stay out of the drop zone.

So let’s now look at three players who could be moving to Selhurst Park this Winter.

Kieran Gibbs

One of Sam Allardyce’s first acts could be that of capturing Kieran Gibbs from Arsenal. The Gunners are having well documented protracted contract talks with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil but they are not the only two players whose conracts are set to expire in 18 months.

Another player you can add to a worryingly long list for Arsenal fans is that of Gibbs and Crystal Palace are monitoring the situation with keen interest as they hope the England international will be ready to leave The Emirates and make the short move to Selhurst Park.

The 28 year old has spent his whole career at Arsenal but over the last few seasons has failed to hold down a first team berth of his own. He only made 15 Premier League appearances last season and has only featured 5 times in the first half of this.

And it’s this lack of top flight game time which may well mean that Gibbs decides to end his decade long stint in North London. As always with a player whose contract is running out the decision for his employers is whether to sell early or risk that player leaving the club for free. If Arsene Wenger does decide to move Gibbs on and is willing to listen to offers then Crystal Palace will be at the front of the queue for his signature.

Robbie Brady

Another player that has been linked with Palace as of late is that of Robbie Brady with Sam Allardyce reportedly ready to make a bid for the Republic Of Ireland international. Brady who will be 25 later this month will be remembered for his two goals for the Republic in last Summer’s European Championships.

Brady has already suffered two Premier League relegations with both Hull and his current employers Norwich, so perhaps Palace fans could be excused if they thought he was carrying some kind of jinx. That said should they capture his signing from The Canaries then they will be getting a very neat and versitile player with top flight experience.

Not only can Brady play as a winger but can also be used at full back, a position that Palace have really struggled with as of late. It cost £7m for Norwich to acquire Brady from Hull and you would imagine should he return to the Premier League then the figure needed to acquire the former Manchester United youngster would be same.

Modou Barrow

With Wilifried Zaha’s newly acquired Ivorian nationality it means he is available to be selected for this month’s African Cup of Nations and therefore is now set for a lengthy absence from the Crystal Palace side.

To illeviate that problem Crystal Palace have identified a potential target to replace Zaha in the short term but also add competition for the wide berths going forward, with that target being Modou Barrow of Swansea.

The Gambian was named as unused sub when these two sides met just a few days ago at Selhurst Park, a game that saw Swansea snatch a dramatic late winner. With first team football not necessarily a given for Barrow he may well fancy swapping a relegation scrap in South Wales for one in South London.

Barrow has impressed when he has been handed minutes on the pitch this season and the 24 year old was the subject of interest from Newcastle back in the Summer. A fee of £10m was quoted if he was to move away from The Liberty Stadium and that is unlikely to have changed for any potential transfer this month. Can Palace now prise him away from one of their nearest rivals in the battle to beat the drop?.