Patrick Viera is back in the Premier League but this time on the side of the pitch rather than on the pitch. Crystal Palace are definitely in a state of transition as the number of departures are high and a similar number of arrivals to replace them. Viera is being backed well by the board and thus Palace are the team having one of the best windows in the transfer market.
The major transition seen at Palace is at the back where a number of aging center-backs have made a move-out and thus Viera and his team had the job to replace the vacancies not just with quality players but with great potential as well. Thus, the board got a great deal in form of the Danish center back, Joachim Andersen to back the earlier announced move of Marc Guehi.
Who is Joachim Andersen?
Andersen, currently 25, played his early football in Netherlands and Italy before making his first big move to the French league signing with Lyon in 2019. Next season the Danish had his first-ever English football experience as he joined Fulham on loan and was a standout amongst a lackluster Fulham squad.
He even has international experience with the Danish Football Team and also was part of their Euro 2020 Squad where the team enjoyed a great run.
Why Viera wanted Andersen?
Every football lover knows that to build a good team one needs to be strong at the back. Viera did the same and wanted to give the Selhurst Park fans a new defensive security who they can rely on. Andersen who wanted to stay in London after his loan spell at Fulham had offers from both Spurs and Crystal Palace but the decision to select Eagles over the Big White Londoners was very much influenced by his talks with Viera.
Patrick Viera who is new to the role looks to build a team who can build from the back and needs defenders who are good with ball under their feet. With Guehi already in grasp, Viera’s concern was finding a suitable partner to him who can complement the Englishman.
Andersen fits in all the credentials to compliment Guehi and build a partnership to be afraid of in the present and the future. Andersen’s best ability is his aerial presence which makes him one of the best in the league. He has registered an incredible stat of 7.74 aerial clearances per 90 minutes to prove his ability. Also, his record of 74% long balls completion makes him perfect for a team like Crystal Palace who can be lethal on counter attacks.
Every good team needs a leader who leads by example and in football, as the greats say, “One team needs three leaders, one in the attack, one in midfield and one most importantly in the backline.” Andersen even at such a young age was leading the Fulham team and Viera in his new team wants such a leader who sets an example and is also someone who can serve for long to build over a foundation for years. His five-year contact justifies the role he is brought up for.
Viera being new in the role is still not certain of the formation and tactics he will use in the season and this makes Andersen and Guehi much more important as both of them have played in back 3, back 4 and back 5 systems that allows Viera to switch between systems easily.
Thus, the addition of Andersen should really excite all Palace fans and also be an alarm for all other teams for the storm coming from the London side.
