Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway made his third signing of the close season last week by acquiring Jerome Thomas on a free transfer. The 30-year-old arrives at Selhurst Park on a two-year deal and follows Dwight Gayle and Stephen Dobbie to the club as Holloway strengthens his side in preparation for next term.
Speaking to the Palace official website, Thomas admitted he had a number of offers on the table but, following talks with the Eagles boss, was convinced he’ll have a part to play for in the season ahead:
“It was a case of me being on a free and weighing up my options. I wanted to stay at the top level, which is obviously the Premier League. I heard of Crystal Palace’s interest from January actually, and once they got promoted Ollie gave me a call when I was away on holiday, we had a good talk for about 45 minutes and after that conversation there wasn’t much doubt in my mind where I wanted to go. I hope I can bring a lot to the team. I’ve got experience of the Premier League and the gaffer’s going to give me the freedom to play how I want to play – my attacking game – which I haven’t been able to do for the last couple of seasons. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The History
A product of the Arsenal youth academy, Thomas failed to make a single Premier League appearance for the Gunners. Farmed out on loan to QPR between 2001-03, he featured just 10 times over two seasons and found the net three times before Charlton snapped him up for £100,000 back in 2004.
Established as a regular at The Valley, the winger went on to make 103 appearances, producing seven goals and four assists for the Championship club before making his way to then-Premier League Portsmouth on loan in August 2008. Thomas signed a permanent one-year deal just a few days later but a spine problem put paid to his game time and restricted him to a couple of appearances.
He was then snapped up by West Brom as a free agent the following summer and proceeded to play a pivotal part in the Baggies return to the top-flight, scoring seven times and providing a pair of assists in 27 Championship appearances. Thomas’ most impressive campaign in the Premier League arrived in 2010/11, where he managed three goals and seven assists in 33 appearances, but the installation of Roy Hodgson and, subsequently, Steve Clarke, proved detrimental to his prospects. The winger managed just one goal and three assists in 39 appearances over the past two seasons and was farmed out on loan to Leeds for a brief spell last term, producing a goal and pair of assists in six matches before returning to his parent club.
The Prospects
Judging by Thomas’ comments, it certainly seems that he’s been given assurance of game time over the season ahead as Holloway looks for a little extra top-flight experience in order to prevent Palace from slipping straight back into the Championship. While the Eagles boss fielded Yannick Bolasie on the left flank for the vast majority of last season’s matches, it was noticeable that he turned to youngster Jonathan Williams for the play-offs – a suggestion that he wasn’t quite settled on a regular for the position.
Alternatively, Thomas could be handed the role in “the hole” behind a lone forward in Holloway’s 4-2-3-1 formation for the season ahead and if he’s afforded the above-mentioned “freedom”, could prove a canny purchase by the Londoners. Yet to be listed by either the Sun Dream Team or the Sky Sports games, Thomas’ appeal for the 2013/14 is mainly down to a cut-price valuation of 4.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, making his perfect fifth midfielder material.
With virtually every other midfielder under 5.0 plying their trade in a more defensive position, Thomas’ popularity is likely to take an unexpected hike as we analyse the Player Lists for this season’s Raheem Sterling or Jason Puncheon. While there will surely be more alternatives to come over the next few weeks as clubs bolster their squads, the likes of Villa’s Aleksandar Tonev, Southampton’s Victor Wanyama and Hull trio Robbie Brady, Ahmed Elmohamady or Roberto Koren (all priced at 5.0) could appeal to those eyeing up a midfield rotation partner for the former Baggies man, with the latter two offering a solid option over the first seven Gameweeks.
Essentially, then, we’re not expecting Thomas to light up the top-flight on a weekly basis but at that price, he could prove decent value for money if Holloway is true to his word and hands him a regular role.
