Two Players Frank De Boer Could Sign For Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace’s hunt for a new manager may be nearing an end as the BBC Sport claims that the Eagles are close to appointing Dutch manager Frank de Boer as their new boss. The 47-year old former Inter Milan and Ajax manager has been without a job since his short and disastrous 85-day spell with Inter at the start of the 2016-17 campaign.
Despite the poor stint in Italy, De Boer is a manager with proven credentials, having won four Dutch Eredivisie titles during his five and a half year spell with Ajax lasting between 2010 and 2016. A bright young manager with a strong track record and history of bringing the best out of young players, the appointment of De Boer augurs very well for the Eagles.
With an announcement expected shortly, we look at two players that the 47-year old may look to sign, once his assumes his position as the manager of Crystal Palace:
Siem De Jong (Newcastle United)
The 28-year Dutch attacking midfielder was one of the mainstays in the Ajax squad that achieved so much success under De Boer in the early parts of this decade. His performances for the Dutch giants earned him a big money move to English club Newcastle United in the summer of 2014, but things haven’t gone all that well for De Jong in Tyneside.
Following a difficult two years, De Jong was shipped out on loan back to PSV Eindhoven for the 2016/17 campaign, where he had a decent season. The midfielder finished with a return of 6 goals and an assist from 19 Eredivisie appearances.
With him unlikely to feature in the plans for Newcastle this season, De Boer should consider looking at him. With the future of Yohan Cabaye under somewhat of a cloud, Palace could use someone of De Jong’s ilk, who will bring in a lot of creativity and guile to the team, along with goals on regular occasions.
Joel Veltman (Ajax)
Another of the young stars that De Boer helped develop during his days at Ajax, Veltman has gone on to become a cornerstone of the Dutch club’s defence in recent years.
The 25-year old who can play as a centre-back or as a right-back with equal comfort, was a key member of the squad that made it to the finals of the UEFA Europa League last season. Veltman gathered a total of 44 appearances across all competitions, in which he managed to chalk up 3 assists against his name. His performances for Ajax haven’t gone unnoticed, with the Evening Standard reporting earlier this month that Premier League bigwigs Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move for the 17-time capped Dutch international.
Palace badly need reinforcements in their defence as they are left with just two recognised senior centre-halves in James Tomkins and Scott Dann in their squad. The fact that Veltman can offer cover at right-back as well, makes him a great option for Palace to consider signing.
