Patrick Vieira got an absolute steal with Odsonne Edouard

Everyone wanted Odsonne Édouard, yet with all the massive clubs in the hunt, Crystal Palace prevailed.

Patrick Vieira, new boss of Crystal Palace, could not be any happier. In his first match with his new club, the young Frenchman Odsonne Édouard put up a brace that essentially left Tottenham in no position to get points from the affair. However, the best is yet to come.

Crystal Palace does not have a bad squad. On the contrary, it has great players such as Wilfried Zaha , but Édouard will likely change things at the club. Christian Benteke will find it harder to get playing time unless a 4-4-2 is employed, while every other man on the pitch will have to keep Édouard in mind whenever the ball is in possession.

When the deal to get Edouard is looked back on in the years to come, it is likely to be viewed as a complete and total steal for Palace and a missed opportunity for not only every other club who missed out on him, but Celtic as well who might have gotten a larger cash return.

Odsonne Édouard: Learning from a legend in Patrick Vieira, with good talent in London

The 23-year-old is special and teams like Arsenal to Everton were vying to sign him. Palace won out in the end as Vieira was insistent on acquiring him.

Crystal Palace likely did the right thing in listening to Vieira. I wager to say that Édouard’s new teammates agree with him as much as his old teammates would. The striker is special and the stats from his young career demonstrate as much.

There are so many young, talented players right now in the game. From Kylian Mbappe to Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho, etc., sometimes one can forget them all. I feel this is what has happened with Édouard. With all the talk about those players, as well as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the transfer for Odsonne went under the radar.

No one can doubt the talent of those aforementioned players, but Odsonne Edouard should not be overlooked either. With 22 goals last season alone and 28 the year before, there is no limit to what this player can do when given the proper chances and with the proper support around him.

Under the tutelage of Vieira, it seems that he and the rest of his team can comfortably grow and make strides with a bit more inspiration than before. Palace has been disappointing in its play the last few year but there is hope now. Talented players like Zaha, Eze and Jordan Ayew, renewed inspiration that the club can succeed.

Supporters should also feel great happiness and with more performances like the one against Tottenham, there is hope for similar performances throughout the season

Will it be enough to get them into a European competition? Perhaps a domestic trophy?

All of that remains to be seen but with brilliant players and a driven, knowledgable and ambitious manager, there is hope for Crystal Palace this year — something that hasn’t been said in a long time.