Agreed with this. Surprised to be honest but he has potential and with Cabaye and our wingers maybe it's the right fit. £10m seems bloody high, would be surprised if SP parted with that money for him.

The ups and downs of Palace have left me older than my years

Really unsure about this. He is not a prolific goal scorer though has often been played out wide which would't have helped. And he wouldn't have had the service he will get from Zaha Bolasie Cabaye and Puncheon.

We were in for him last year which suggests this may have come from SP. Suspect he wont be cheap and currently feel really underwhelmed by the signing though I can see this could later look like a masterstroke

Very good signing. Young, plenty of potential to develop further and on his day, an absolute beast. When he's good, he's very, very good. He's played in an awful side that has employed often negative tactics due to always being in a relegation battle, that has little creativity and even less confidence...about the worst set up he could have had at the development stage of his career. He's have been better to stay at Ipswich a couple of years longer.

Put him in a Palace shirt with the Holmesdale behind him and Cabaye, Puncheon, Wilf, Yala et al supplying him and mark my words, it'll be a different story. He's not moving from Sunderland; he's being emancipated. If Wickham fulfils even 75% of his potential, his value could easily double by next summer.

What I think we're seeing is what Americans would call the introduction of a "rotation system" up front. We've clearly decided not to go for the one, big-name, multi-million pound main man (Austin, Adebayor, or whoever) and instead, probably based on current form, deploy a combination of Gayle, Murray, Chamakh, Bamford and Wickham according to the opposition and how they're playing at the time. Next summer, assuming we push on this season, we'll be in better position to pursue a bigger name target with the new TV money at our disposal.

This move makes sense on all levels. It has a very high upside and at his best, Wickham gives us a forward who could be a key player for many years. Very happy.

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.

Murray will go I regret

Window has weeks left. Be patient!