Crystal Palace aiming to sign a striker after West Brom defeat, says Alan Pardew
Saturday 13 August 2016 19:40, UK
Alan Pardew says Crystal Palace are aiming to bring in a striker before the transfer window closes after failing to breakdown West Brom - but says the club are in transition.
Former Palace boss Tony Pulis got one over his old club thanks to Salomon Rondon's second-half header and Pardew was left to rue several missed chances from his side.
Pardew sent Yannick Bolasie on as a second-half substitute to try to find a way through, having benched the forward following a £30m bid from Everton. But even with Bolasie on the field, Palace were unable to beat West Brom 'keeper Ben Foster.
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"When I saw the fixture list I was thinking 'I don't fancy West Brom at home' because they don't give you any room, they defend with numbers and made it very, very difficult for us, and they're very good at set plays and that's exactly how it panned out," said Pardew.
"We couldn't find a way - although we had two or three good moments before they scored. The first person who scored was going to win, I think, and unfortunately it wasn't us. We did everything to try to break them down but it was difficult.
"Of course it's a frustration for me and the fans [not to have a striker on the bench]. We need strikers to come into this football club and we're working hard on that. Steve [Parish, Palace chairman] and myself are pushing at the door and hopefully one will open for us.
"We're going to be a club in transition this year and that performance probably suggests that as well. Two of our big signings couldn't be involved today, guys who have been in the Euros have not been involved, so we were a bit short.
"We're a lot stronger than we showed on the pitch, at least, but the cutting edge has been a problem, even with Bolasie. And we have to change that, we have to get a cutting edge and get some goals. I'm very much aware of that. I can promise Crystal Palace fans we're going to address it."
Sky sources understand that Palace have already accepted a £30m bid from Everton for 27-year-old winger Bolasie, but Pardew says the deal is not yet formalised - although accepted the player would move on if he wanted to leave.
"There are still some points to go over on that," he said. "It's frustrating for our fans, I think, because he's such a charismatic character but by the same token, sometimes it's out of your hands and if the boy's heart and soul isn't with us then we're going to have to make a decision on that.
"When the window is open and the league season starts it makes it difficult. It was a difficult choice to leave him out today, a difficult choice to put him on."
