Having already brought in Andros Townsend and Steve Mandanda, Crystal Palace made their third new addition of the transfer window last week by signing West Ham defender James Tomkins for £10 million.
The defender has joined on a five-year deal, and speaking to the club’s official website, spoke of his happiness at linking up with former Hammers boss Alan Pardew, while also outlining his ambitions for the forthcoming season:
“He helped me through by getting me training with the first-team when I was a kid and got my career started which I’ve always been thankful for, so it’s nice to be reunited with him. He’s been interested in signing me previously so it was an easy decision when I heard Palace were interested… Given how ambitious the owners and the chairman are and with a few numbers coming in, the top half is a good goal to look at… There’s a nice feeling around the place and it feels like we’re going places here.”
The History
Spotted by West Ham scouts playing for his local Sunday league side, Tomkins joined the club’s academy when he was just eight-years-old. Initially a striker, Tomkins moved into central defence, and made his Premier League in a 1-1 draw against Everton in March 2008.
The following season, Tomkins was sent out on loan to Derby Country by then-Irons boss Gianfranco Zola, playing eight matches in all competitions for the Rams before being recalled. He would go on to make 12 Premier League appearances in 2008/09, and was subsequently handed a long-term contract at Upton Park.
Tomkins was part of the West Ham squad that suffered relegation in 2011, but in the one season the Hammers spent in the Championship, was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year, racking up four goals and as many assists.
In recent years, Tomkins has remained in important part of the first-team squad, although under Slaven Bilic last season he lost out to Angelo Ogbonna as the preferred partner for Winston Reid in central defence, while Michail Antonio was utilised at right-back during the second half of last season.
In total, Tomkins played 164 times for the Hammers in the Premier League, scoring four goals and registering five assists.
The new Palace signing has featured at every level for England from Under 16 to Under 21s, making 37 appearances, but has yet to earn a senior cap. Tomkins did feature for the Great Britain Olympic football squad at London 2012, playing twice.
The Prospects
Perhaps tellingly, Tomkins was immediately handed a role in Pardew’s first XI in their opening summer friendly against Philadelphia Union earlier in the week, with the Palace manager playing down a slight strain picked up by the new boy midway through the match.
Tomkins’ arrival certainly looks bad news for Damien Delaney, with the former expected to replace the Republic of Ireland international alongside Scott Dann in Pardew’s back-four. The versatile Tomkins has also played at right-back, and could offer cover behind Joel Ward in that position for the Eagles.
Looking at Tomkins’ underlying statistics last term, he was on a par with Dann for clearances (one every 18.3 minutes compared to Dann’s 18) and was superior for interceptions (38.2 minutes to 53.7), though lagged some way behind for blocks (one every 206.4 minutes to Dann’s 72.4 minutes).
There’s little doubt Dann will be the name most Fantasy managers will gravitate to when looking for a Palace defender given his performances last season, when he scored five goals and grabbed one assist. The downside is that’s likely to earn the former Blackburn man a price rise in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this season, perhaps up to 5.5.
Other members of Palace’s backline could come in at either 4.5 or 5.0, with Tomkins possibly valued at 5.0 in light of his proven Premier League pedigree.
Given that the Eagles managed just eight clean sheets (six at home) and conceded 51 times, Tomkins will need to offer a decent attacking threat to come into consideration. Encouragingly, he won a higher percentage of his aerial duels than Dann last season and bearing in mind that Palace were third for goal attempts from set-pieces last term, he may yet emerge as a viable cheaper option.
The fact that Palace have, according to our Season Ticker, the most favourable fixtures over the opening five Gameweeks (WBA, tot, BOU, mid, STO) certainly boosts their appeal as we start to assemble our 15-man squads. Tomkins looks very likely to become a key part of the rearguard alongside Dann, and with an expected cheaper price tag, has the chance to stake an initial claim for a spot in our five-man backlines.
