Do we even have a backup for Townsend?

The squad looks unbalanced with a lot of central midfielders and very few wingers.

Townsend is left footed and likes to cut in. All other players position themselves accordingly. Center forwards make diagonal runs, righy back runs up to maybe cross etc. Once Townsend is substituted (by anyone: Macca, Camarasa, Ayew) that player will only be right footed and disrupt the formation as he will no longer cut inside, but rather go himself for the cross with the right foot, keeping the right back from going up on the right side.

Now there aren't many left footed right wingers who are free, but one is necessary. There's only Schlupp in our swuad, but he can't play as right wing to ve backup for Townsend, he's a left midfielder or left back.

Problem should have been taken care of in the transfer window as there were players like Hernani (who went from FC Porto to Levante for free), Bradley Kuwas or Sinan Gumus (very cheap).

The right wingers who are left:

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But not all are left footed. And many who are left footed are over 30 years old.

But one who I'd reccommend (mind you, not the best option ever, but a necessary backup since there really is no Townsend backup) is Uffe Bech, Danish right wing who used to be very good for his home country teams and even got to the national team and earned himself a transfer to Bundesliga side Hannover, which paid 2 million for him.

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The player suffered a very serious injury though and was out of action for a year. He came back last season and played very well for Hannover's second team in the 4th German tier (League 2 level) and for home team Brondby where he was loaned, but the Germans didn't extend his contract even though he regained his full fitnes. It also may have to do with the fact that Hannover dropped a division and didn't have much money left.

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Considering that he'd be very cheap and that the 25 men squad of Crystal Palace is still to be fully established, I think the club should sign him as a free player, even though his value has dropped a lot in the last year given his injury. He's just 26 and his organism has healed itself.

25 man squad looks like this:

3 goalkeepers

8 defenders: Ward, Kelly, Tomkins, Cahill, Sakho, Dann, PVA, Schlupp

6 midfielders: Luka, Kouyate, McArtur, Mccarthy, Meyer, Camarasa

5 forwards: Townsend, Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Benteke, Wickham

That's 22. Without youth players. Given that there are still some fre players left to be signed, I think any of Simpson/Abate/van der Wiel would be an upgrade to Kelly at least, no left back required as Schlupp should be there cause he can't be a left footed right wing and some more possible signings should include a left footed winger like Bech and a good attacking option, either Ribery/Llorente/Sturridge.

Some other options besides Bech would be for me Jerson Cabral:

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And Newcastle U23 graduate Callum Roberts:

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I'm kind of sad for him that he didn't make the Newcastle Premier League squad and is now out of contract after he has been one of the best wingers in the Premier League 2 championship in theblast 3 years.

Just see where the other top scorers there got (and most were center forwards not wingers like him to score so many goals and assist so much)

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We will just play macca there if needed, we play a narrow 4 man midfield so our wingers are basically cms anyway.

Macca is right footed though. It kind of disrupts everyone who was used with Townsend's type of movement on the pitch and positioning for passing.

Should read right sided...

True. But it's not just Aaron Mooy. There are also many players who got relegated, released and picked up by better clubs.

It's not always a particular player's fault that a club went down. Maybe some teammates just weren't very good.

Have to disagree there with my friend, a club CANNOT 'release' a player if they are still under contract. They can transfer them, or, terminate contract by 'mutual consent'.

This operation, will make the 'Charge Of The Light Brigade' seem like a simple military exercise.