Why Crystal Palace’s new signing holds the key against Arsenal

When Crystal Palace thumped Arsenal 3-0 back in April, they were able to do it with Cheikhou Kouyate at the base of midfield.

I’m not meaning to sound harsh on the Senegalese international, but he’s not exactly the most technically gifted of midfielders. For Patrick Vieira, a manager who wants his sides to be brave in possession, having Kouyate in midfield was an issue. In truth, defensive midfield has been a problem area for the Eagles since football returned from a lengthy COVID-19-induced break in 2020.

The once reliable Luka Milivojevic has demised considerably meaning Kouyate was thrust into a more prominent role last season. Palace’s former #8 is a man-mountain and he’s incredibly tough to bypass, but he was a tough watch when the ball arrived at his feet. In short, Kouyate is the antithesis of the archetypal modern-day holding midfielder.

In that Monday night victory against the Gunners, he touched the ball just 27 times – a staggeringly low figure considering his position – but he did notch a combined four tackles and interceptions and register two blocks, depicting his defensive value.

Kouyate’s contract at Selhurst Park expired this summer, meaning defensive midfield was the key area that Palace needed to address in the transfer market. For Vieira’s side to evolve, a more metronomic and technically proficient profile was required.

Why Crystal Palace’s new signing holds the key against Arsenal

Cheick Doucoure is whom the Eagles opted for after he helped Lens to an impressive seventh-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. He’s a highly-regarded 22-year-old midfielder who could emerge as one of the signings of the summer. The £20m fee it took Palace to bring Doucoure to Selhurst Park will likely be regarded as an absolute bargain a year down the line.

The Mali international primarily operated in a double pivot at Lens, but he was also used as the sole holding midfielder when Franck Haise switched to a 3-1-4-2. Doucoure’s certainly capable of performing multiple midfield functions, and it’ll be interesting to see how he’s deployed by Vieira.

One thing’s for sure, though: he’s a huge upgrade on Kouyate.

While Kouyate ranked in the respective 11th, third and first percentiles for passes attempted, progressive passes and progressive carries among midfielders from Europe’s top five leagues last season, Doucoure sat in the 75th, 93rd and 93rd percentiles. The 22-year-old is fantastic in possession, and he’s a player capable of transforming Palace’s build-up that showed signs of life during Vieira’s debut season.

Former Gunner Vieira, meanwhile, is thrilled to have Doucoure on board. Speaking after the midfielder’s Selhurst Park debut in pre-season, the Palace boss said: “He did really well. He’s a player who still needs to grow and believe in himself even more. But you can see he’s really comfortable on the ball and switched his game quick enough for us.”

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Doucoure freshens up an ageing midfield that’ll be without last season’s star Conor Gallagher. He’ll make his first Premier League start on Friday night against Arsenal, and the home faithful cannot wait to see the new boy in action.

He’s a stellar athlete who dominates physically and excels technically. It’ll be a big test for him on his Premier League debut against a side that are looking to evolve into somewhat of a pressing juggernaut. Palace, though, will attempt to build from the back knowing that they’ve got a more reliable fulcrum in the middle of the park.

I’m sure Martin Odegaard will be deployed by Mikel Arteta to nullify Doucoure from having much of a say in Palace’s build-up, but the 22-year-old certainly has the capacity to ensure the home side get their foot on the ball, break Arsenal’s press and free their dangerous front three in transition.

Cheick Doucoure is certainly a player to keep an eye out for not only on Friday night but throughout his debut season at Palace.