Following the Christmas departure of Alan Pardew, former England manager Sam Allardyce was appointed Crystal Palace manager in the last few days, and his first goal of business is to ensure that the club stops leaking goals. Palace have one of their worst defensive records in the league despite having scored more goals than some of the sides in the top half of the table. The former England man has told the team in no uncertain terms that they must improve in this department.
It is apparent now that Allardyce is interested in a player that he signed last season for Sunderland before he moved on to the England job: Lamine Kone. Kone is a strong central back that Allardyce unearthed last season from Lorient in French Ligue 1. Kone helped keep Sunderland above water last season, and Big Sam is hoping to get the same sort of thing out of him with Palace this time around. One stumbling block, though, is the fee as he been given a five year extension at the Tyneside club. This could lead to problems should be try to leave, which is likely.
Kone, an apparent summer transfer target of Everton, looks to be unsettled after being unable to move in the summer, so this may be seen as a welcome opportunity for the defender. Allardyce, who is used to cleaning up messes by preventing relegation or helping gets clubs promoted back to the league seems to love what Kone brings and believes it can help his side stay afloat. However, it is likely to assume that Kone will be unavailable for at least a month as he is going to be involved in the African Cup of Nations. Keep an eye on this story, as it could get very intriguing as time goes on.
(Via Express)