Crystal Palace have completed the signing of striker Connor Wickham after paying Sunderland around £9million for the services of the striker.
Wickham had only signed a contract extension earlier this year, but has now signed a five-year contract with the Eagles.
The 22-year-old England under-21 international arrived at Sunderland with a big reputation and price tag. He has not yet fulfilled his potential in the north east, but has scored some vital goals for the Black Cats.
In season 2013/14 Wickham went on a scoring run and scored five goals in three games to help the Black Cats beat the drop against all odds.
However last season he scored just six goals and his record of 15 goals 91 appearances for the north east side is not great.
Palace have brought in Yohan Cabaye, Patrick Bamford and Alex McCarthy this summer, but this deal seems to have gone down better with the Sunderland fans than Palace’s. The youngster has slightly underperformed and his attitude has been questioned by the fans.
The Black Cats are now being linked with moves for QPR midfielder Leroy Fer and French international Yann M’Vila, who is currently plying his trade in Russian with Rubin Kazan.
A loan move has been suggested for Dutch international Fer, who only joined the Hoops for £8million from Norwich last summer. The London club are attempting to trim the wage bill as they prepare for life in the Championship.
M’Vila meanwhile spent last season on-loan at Inter after joining Rubin Kazan two and a half years ago in a surprise move. He is highly-rated, but has not quite lived up to the hype in recent seasons.
Is signing Connor Wickham a gamble for Crystal Palace?
