THE FUSE

"It would be ridiculous if I were to deny we were close to signing him. That is so out in the open," he admitted in September. "These things happen in football. We would have liked to have signed him, of course. If we feel we can strengthen the team, we never hesitate to do so. It's not like all of a sudden we don't have options in that position. It's a pity, not only for us but also for the player, I think. But he's in a good place, playing for Palace, where he won the Charity Shield and the FA Cup with a very good manager as well. Let's see what the future brings for him and for us."