After the departure of Michael Olise, Crystal Palace fans would be forgiven for hoping for a quiet end to the transfer window – maybe a couple of young incomings, but stability and evolution across the rest of the squad.
However, as ever with Palace, things haven’t panned out that way, as Joachim Andersen has agreed to a move back to London’s second oldest football club – Fulham.
The Great Dane’s departure has come as somewhat of a shock, given the greater interest in his defensive partner Marc Guehi.
Andersen will be hard to replace for Palace. Not only do his 113 appearances need replacing, but his physicality and ability on the ball were crucial to the Eagles’ run at the tail end of last season. Finding someone ready to take on this mantle will be tough – but luckily for Palace, Dougie Freedman may be the man to find them.
What will Palace miss?
The first and arguably most important feature of Andersen’s to replicate would be his availability. Even in his most injury-hit season, the Dane managed 32 appearances in South London.
The importance of his availability is only exacerbated by his leadership abilities, with the vocal centre-back captaining Palace frequently. His constant presence, coupled with his leadership, made him a near-irreplaceable player for the South London side.
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On the ball, however, is where Joachim Andersen shone brightest. His long range passing ability and vision is amongst the best in the Premier League - a skill he utilised regularly to start attacks with raking diagonal balls.
His love of spraying the ball was made more impressive by his accuracy, with nearly half of them being completed. He was also a frequent passer into the final third, to open up opportunities for his teammates. Andersen’s ability to progress the ball, and carry his team up the pitch, will need to be adequately replaced for Palace to kick on without him.
Whilst his stats are more modest defensively, he was a highly successful tackler unafraid of a challenge. He also completed the most clearances in the Premier League in the 23/24 season, and was in the top 3 in the season before.
An aggressive, no-nonsense defender with the ability to spread play and create chances for his teammates, Andersen was an invaluable asset. But, players of his ilk do exist and can be brought in.
Who can replace Joachim Andersen?
There are several names that have been linked with Palace capable of filling the gap left by the Danish international. Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix, who was originally seen as a Guehi replacement, chief among them.
Physically, Lacroix is Andersen’s equal, with both coming in at 1.9m tall. This is crucial for any successor, given the lack of height in the Palace squad. However, the Frenchman only managed 28 appearances last campaign, missing five games due to suspension. This lack of discipline will have been noted.
His ability on the ball passes muster too, with him completing 216 long passes in the Bundesliga last season. Lacroix also boasted greater long-ball accuracy statistics than Andersen.
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Defensively the pair are comparable again, with roughly equal tackle success rates. Lacroix, however, also offers far greater pace than Andersen, which would enable Palace to play higher knowing he can bail them out should trouble arrive. With these characteristics in mind, and having already worked with Glasner, Lacroix seems well-suited to step into life at Selhurst Park.
Odilon Kossounou from Bayer Leverkusen has also emerged as a potential replacement. Physically, his traits are similar to Andersen’s, but his availability renders a stark contrast from the Dane’s. Kossounou managed 22 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, albeit with 12 extra coming in Europe and the DFB Pokal.
This, however, was not due to injury. Kossounou often found himself as the fourth choice centre back for Bayer Leverkusen, behind Jonathan Tah, Edmund Tapsoba, and Piero Hincapé. Kossounou missed games due to his participation in AFCON or simply being left on the bench last season.
His skillset is also different to that of Andersen, with the Ivorian only playing 105 long passes last season. This can partly be explained by Leverkusen’s shorter playstyle, but it is still concerning if a direct replacement is what Palace are after.
Trevoh Chalobah has also been suggested, especially given Chelsea’s need to sell players. However, he seems a poor fit for many reasons, namely his injury record.
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Chalobah managed just 13 games in the Premier League last season, after battling with thigh issues for most of the campaign. Although he found form towards the end of the season, his fitness has to be a concern.
Stylistically he doesn’t match Andersen either. Chalobah attempted a total of 70 long passes across around 950 minutes of football last season – Andersen managed over 7 times as many in less than four times the minutes..
However, Chalobah excels defensively and is more than a match for Andersen in this department. Whilst the Englishman intercepts less, he averages a similar amount of blocks and completes more tackles than the departing Palace star.
Do Palace already have a replacement?
One could argue that Palace can recreate Joachim Andersen’s impact with the current players in their squad. With Chris Richards starting consistently, and the prospect of Chadi Riad, there is potential for one of the pair to step up and replace him.
Chris Richards meets the threshold of aggressive defending. The American completed seven fewer tackles than Andersen in far fewer minutes, showing his ability to step in and challenge fearlessly.
Whilst he is a little shorter than Andersen, his physicality is used in similar ways, and his aggression in stepping in to intercept play is a trait shared by the Dane.
However, as with all potential replacements, his ability on the ball does not match that of his former teammate. Whilst his pass rate is similar, he doesn’t play as many long balls as Andersen. This isn’t necessarily a bad sign – Richards would not have played as many long passes when playing alongside the Dane – but signing someone who plays longer more often may be a better move for Palace.
Chadi Riad’s likelihood of replacing Andersen meets similar pitfalls to Richards’. Whilst he doesn’t match the Dane as well as Richards, Riad has plenty of encouraging characteristics. His interceptions and high rate of tackle success are positive signs of his role at the club.
As ever though, Riad isn’t as proficient a passer as Andersen – although his completion rate was higher, the Moroccan played far fewer long passes than the Danish international. As a young prospect, Riad looks incredible, but stylistically matches Marc Guehi more than he does Joachim Andersen, and may be in position to replace the Englishman if he does leave.
What does this mean for Marc Guehi?
The sale of Andersen comes amidst Newcastle’s persistent interest in Marc Guehi, making the Dane’s departure even more of a surprise. However, his move may harden Palace’s stance around the Euro 2024 finalist’s future.
Palace have been willing to sell Guehi for the right price, which has repeatedly not been met by other clubs. With Andersen leaving, they may be less willing to let him leave so that they don’t lose two-thirds of their defensive setup.
This could lead to two possible outcomes – firstly, and perhaps less likely, that they raise Guehi’s sale price. His value to the team has increased with Andersen’s departure, and a higher fee would need to be met to obtain his services. This would also hinge on Glasner’s willingness to let him leave in the same window as his former defensive partner.
The other potential outcome would be Guehi signing a new contract at the club. The centre-back is currently exploring his options with two years left on his contract, and a sale next season would be of a much lower price as he would be down to 12 months remaining.
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However, Steve Parish has shown a canniness with contracts recently with his use of release clauses. Olise and Eze both had release clauses in their contracts, which helped keep them at the club for longer. Failing this, Guehi would then be sold at a lower price next summer.
Should Guehi be sat down with a strong financial package with a reasonable release clause, there’s a chance he would sign knowing he can still leave if the right offer comes in. This would provide continuity and stability, whilst still giving the player a way out should they want to leave.
Joachim Andersen’s surprise sale has shaken the Palace fanbase, especially given he has joined a mid-table rival. Whilst Palace would make a profit on his departure, finding a suitable replacement is a must. Maxence Lacroix looks like the most promising candidate to replace the Dane, given his similar skillset, and would be a realistic target for the South London club.
The impact of Andersen’s departure on Marc Guehi’s future remains to be seen. Although it may see Guehi continue at the club, it could impact his future transfer fee if he refuses to sign a new deal.
At the moment clubs are surrounding the Englishman like magpies to silver, and Palace should seek certainty in that department given the unexpected sale of one of their stars.