Crystal Palace picked up an important 2-0 win against Burnley on the weekend, but sadly, the performance from Joel Ward emphasised that our priority in the January transfer window should be signing a right-back.
He struggled against a very skilful winger.
So, why did Joel Ward‘s performance for Crystal Palace emphasise the need for a right-back? Let’s take a look
Ward, who is on £35,000-a-week, is no doubt a Palace legend. He is the last remaining player who was in the famous 2012/13 Championship promotion squad and he has been a key defender at the club for a decade.
Now though, with the Englishman 34 years-old, he is becoming a weakness for the Eagles. The right-back is coming up against some fast and skilful wingers and he is struggling against them.
Ward was given a 4/10 rating by the media for his performance in the win over Burnley and he was also substituted in the 70th minute by Roy Hodgson.
The club captain was dribbled past three times and against better opposition Palace could have easily been punished. We have seen Ward dribbled past this season and the opposition score earlier this campaign when Palace played Brentford.
Sadly it is time for the Eagles to hunt for a new right-back, especially with fellow veteran Nathaniel Clyne as the only cover and Nathan Ferguson constantly injured.
The Eagles have some top players and they are just a couple of signings away from being able to finish in the top half.
If they could sign a more progressive right-back, with some pace, then they would be a lot stronger. Ward has been a top player for the Eagles and he is great to have in the squad, but sadly, with the pace of modern football, he is struggling.
It will be interesting to see how the Eagles act in the January transfer window. The recent injury crisis saw how there is not enough strong depth at the club.