Wow, what a day. Seemingly the most protracted transfer in Crystal Palace history, but yet it still feels like the most amazing surprise. When the initial euphoria dies down - which will take a while - a legitimate question is: what can we expect from our record signing, Yohan Cabaye?

One thing is eminently clear. Palace have signed a multifaceted midfielder who can adapt to a number of roles. One of the more obvious questions that Palace fans have been asking is ‘who does he replace?’. The answer seems to be any of the midfield three, be it in the deep roles which Mile Jedinak, Joe Ledley and James McArthur have filled, or the role behind the striker which Marouane Chamakh and Jason Puncheon have both done so well in.

Some people have questioned whether it’s wise to spend such a large part of our budget on a player in a position where we’re already well stocked. It’s a fair question and there are two answers to it. One is, simply, you should not pass up the opportunity to sign a player of Cabaye’s class. The second is more nuanced.

Alan Pardew has spoken to wanting to change the way Palace play, becoming less reactive and controlling possession more (see his attempts to play Puncheon in a slightly deeper role). Despite Pardew being around for half the season, and Palace being the sixth best team in that period, we still finished rock bottom in the following categories: passes per game, average possession and pass completion percentage.

Clearly, a player who averages about fifty passes per game and who last season had a pass completion percentage of 89% is going to improve this. But this is not news to anybody. The harder question to answer is whether Cabaye will play deeper, or more advanced. Cabaye gave a little clue in his first interview with Chris Grierson where he stated “I know with Alan Pardew I can play higher up the pitch, just behind the striker”.

But throughout his career Cabaye seems to have been more of a classic central midfielder. Neither a holding midfielder, nor a ‘number 10’, the Palace player he is most similar to is our previous record signing James McArthur. Note the two heatmaps below, with both players roaming almost everywhere between the two penalty areas.

James McArthur; Crystal Palace 3-1 QPR 14th March 2015

Yohan Cabaye; Crystal Palace 0-3 Newcastle 21st December 2013

Every Palace fan will remember Cabaye’s man of the match performance at Selhurst that day, which was the first time we had been taken apart in Tony Pulis’ reign. Cabaye completed 83% of his passes, managed four shots on target and of course scored the opening goal. His heatmap above shows how he covered almost every blade of grass, but with a slight fondness for the pocket of space to the left of the centre circle.

That was a consistent theme during his Newcastle career. A look at one of his other big Newcastle performances was in the 2-0 win over Liverpool at St James’ Park, the season the Magpies finished 5th.

Yohan Cabaye; Newcastle 2-0 Liverpool 1st April 2012

Again, Cabaye roams all over the pitch but the preference for that pocket is apparent. On that day in March 2012, Cabaye demonstrated his qualities on and off the ball. Whilst still managing two key passes, he also completed two tackles and one interception.

Going back further, to Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Manchester United in January, Cabaye put on a performance which highlighted his defensive capabilities.

Yohan Cabaye; Newcastle 3-0 Manchester United 4th January 2012

Cabaye hardly set foot in the Manchester United penalty area (although still managed to score a sumptuous free kick) and did most of his work in his own half. He only touched the ball 36 times (less than half of the 80 he managed against Liverpool) and he only attempted 22 passes, but he completed four interceptions and was hugely influential in Newcastle’s dominant performance.

As a final demonstration of his versatility, Cabaye played a completely different role for France at the 2014 World Cup. His best performance came in Les Bleus’ opening 3-0 win against Honduras. Cabaye took up what can best be described as the ‘Pirlo’ role, sitting in front of the back four, not as a holding midfielder, but as a playmaker.

Yohan Cabaye; France 3-0 Honduras 15th June 2014

He hardly left that position, but was the conduit for all of France’s attacks that day. He touched the ball 84 times, attempted 79 passes (in only 65 minutes) and completed a phenomenal 96% of them. As Stuart James wrote in a fabulous write up in the Guardian, “Cabaye made France tick, using the ball intelligently not only to start moves but also to deliver decisive passes when he ventured further forward.”

Suddenly Cabaye seems less like a marquee signing for the sake of it and more like a player who can fundamentally change the way Pardew’s Palace play and who adds great versatility to our midfield. Jason Puncheon and James McArthur were strong Player of the Year contenders last season, so the immediately obvious combination would be those two and Cabaye in midfield. Which would leave Mile Jedinak, Joe Ledley and Marouane Chamakh - three players who contributed hugely to our 11th placed finish in 2013-14 - on the bench. Of course, you can imagine any number of midfield combinations including the aforementioned three, and indeed Lee Chung-yong and Jordan Mutch, demonstrating the plethora of options that we now have in the engine room.

But one thing seems certain; Yohan Cabaye will be the player that the Palace team is built around next season.

Newcastle 3-0 Man Utd 4th Jan 2012

Touches 36
Passes 22
Pass completion 68%
Key passes 0
Shots 3 (2 on target; 1 goal)
Tackles 0
Interceptions 4

Newcastle 2-0 Liverpool 1st April 2012

Touches 80
Passes 67
Pass completion 78%
Key passes 2
Shots 0 (0)
Tackles 2
Interceptions 1

Crystal Palace 0-3 Newcastle 21st December 2013

Touches 71
Passes 53
Pass completion 83%
Key Passes 2
Shots 5 (4 on target; 1 goal)
Tackles 1
Interceptions 0

France 3-0 Honduras 15th June 2014

Touches 84
Passes 79
Pass completion 96%
Key passes 1
Shots 2 (0)
Tackles 1
Interceptions 1

Five years have passed since CPFC2010 took over the club from administration, with many memorable and important matches... but Patrick Stevens gives his personal top five... with deep analysis into the importance.

1. January 1st 2011. Millwall 3-0 Crystal Palace 

Maybe a strange place to start for many. Certainly it was a very low point and not what people might expect in a piece to celebrate five glorious years. But on that awful day at the New Den, just a few months into the new era of CPFC 2010, on New Years Day, we were destroyed by our South London Rivals. It was an abject performance, we were woeful and the future looked bleak. But, in what was to become a feature of the next five years, the Board reacted and did so decisively and positively. The hapless George Burley was sacked and immediately replaced by club legend Dougie Freedman who went on to lead us to safety.

Without such a savage beating, by fierce rivals, on an iconic day, that may not have happened and we may have drifted on to relegation and League 1 and, if that had happened, all that followed could not have been possible. So yes; this is where my list begins.

Oh, and one other thing. Anyone remember who scored the three goals that day? Yes, Jason Puncheon, clearly on his uppers and on loan with the Lions. I like to believe that this match was also the day when he got up close and personal to the wonderful Palace fans and decided that his true ambition was to don the red and blue of Palace again. And if I am right (and who's to say I'm not) then the this game takes on even more significance...

2. September 27th 2011. Brighton 1-3 Crystal Palace

FFS Murray! Only nine months later and what a difference! So why his one? Well where do I start? Perhaps beating our fiercest rivals away at their new stadium might be reason enough. But this was not just the destruction of our main rivals away, it was their first ever defeat at the Amex - and that fact, my friends, will last forever. It was also the game when we began to play with a bit of class and swagger with little Johnny Williams in particular showing that we had some players, even the beginnings of a team, capable of stepping up a level. Then there was Glenn Murray. Discarded by Brighton and signed on a free, he scored the winner in the dying seconds and it was captured in that immortal video immediately giving the club a lift beyond anything the PR department could have dreamed of. 'FFS Murray!' Was the cry and in that moment a legend was born; a legend who would go on to be one of the main stays of any future success. How important was that moment? Would Glenn have become the man to score the 30 goals next season without it? What part did that win play in our crucial win at the Amex the following season? I can't be sure, but I reckon his was the moment both events can be traced back to. And above all, it means we can still laugh at Brighton.

So thanks Glenn and thanks to that Brighton fan for posting on YouTube. And that is why I put it as the most important result that season.

3. May 13th 2013 Brighton 0-2 Crystal Palace: Championship Play off Semi-Final 2nd Leg

Such a wonderful season up to Christmas was thrown off course by Zaha's transfer to Man Utd, and a very poor run in. We had limped over the play offs line the week before with a 3-2 win at home to relegated Peterborough (arguably therefore itself one of the most important moments with Kevin Phillips and Mile Jedinak scoring crucial late goals) and then not only drew at home to Brighton in the first leg of the semi final but also lost our talismanic centre forward to a tragic and serious injury.

How bad did it look? How cocky were the Brighton fans? But then came that match. The poo; the plastic clappers; Wilf throwing off his shackles and becoming the stuff of Palace legend. Sure, many might pick that fabulous day at Wembley a month later, when Kevin Phillips scored that penalty and sent us all into dreamland, but that would never have happened but for that tense, tight and ultimately terrific night away at Brighton.

And let's not forget that in a recent Survey of Brighton fans, most cited this match as the moment everything went wrong for Brighton.

Get's us to Wembley, helps us get promoted and destroys our rivals. Yes. This one is definitely on the list.

4. November 9th 2013 Crystal Palace 0 -0 Everton 

What? A 0-0 draw at home to Everton? In a season when we beat Chelsea at home to begin a five match winning streak that took us to dizzy mid table heights? When Muzza came off the bench in a dire match away at Swansea and scored his first premiership goal to start our road to safety? When a week later, with Tony Pulis watching in the stands as the new manager, Barry Bannan scored that glorious goal to win 1-0 away at Hull? When we had Crystanbul? 0-0 at home to Everton!?

Well, yes, actually.

Two games before this game we were stuffed 4-1 at home by Fulham and looked finished. We had our then manager Ollie Holloway decide he could take no more and walked out. We had a crucial search for a manager and our premiership survival (never achieved before) was in severe doubt. No one gave us a chance. Well, Cometh the hour cometh the man; step forward Keith Millen.

The 2-0 defeat flattered them and made most discerning fans think perhaps we were turning a corner. Perhaps that's what made the 2-0 defeat away at West Brom the following week all the more disappointing, but again the performance was good and we were (genuinely) unlucky. But we needed to start getting results.

So, next was Everton at home. A massive massive game, against a (then) top 8 side. I remember that game, tight, tense, nerve wracking, but where we saw was the emergence of the team spirit that was so lauded under Pulis. The boys played, and crucially defended, as a unit and looked capable of competing. We even had our moments. We wanted to win, but crucially we could not afford to lose. So, as injury time came and it was still 0-0 the fear as Everton got a free kick in the edge of our box was palpable; I could barely look. Not another glorious defeat on the road to relegation surely!? But no, the free kick was saved and we played out to a proper, well deserved 0-0 draw. We meant business. We could compete in this league against serious teams.

5. May 2015 Crystal Palace 1 Swansea 0

So onto my last choice and this last season. Again, so much to choose from and so many crucial games and big wins: Dwight Gayle's late winner at Burnley turning a two nil deficit into a crucial 3-2 win; the late 2-1 win v Spurs at home in Pardew's first league game that set us on our way; or the 2-1 win at home v Man City (I haven't even mentioned doing the double over Liverpool, as we take that in our stride now). So why am I going for an apparently irrelevant last day match between two teams with seemingly nothing to play for.

Why? Because in that game, while no one was looking, we nicked a 1-0 and with other results going our way we moved up two places to finish tenth: our highest ever finish in the premier league. Put aside the extra two million that gave us, even that the goal was scored by Marouanne Chamakh (a player seen as lazy at Arsenal, but who joined Palace, worked as hard as anyone, injected some much needed calm and class, and in some ways epitomised our transformation). No, this was important because it beautifully capped a wonderful season and perfectly ended a perfect five years. Five years in which every season now had been better than the one before.

It also established us as a solid mid table side as we begin the next five years

So, here's to you all who shared this journey. With apologies if I have missed your favourite game. It comes with enormous and genuine thanks to CPFC 2010 for giving us all these five wonderful years.

What a plan.... What a ride!

Palace have pulled off the signing of the century and Rob Sutherland is so, so excited.

There are times when you witness significant moments in history – many times, movements that you wouldn't dare to imagine to come true – from moon landings, to giant killings, to occasions of shock or horror. Moments where you might pinch yourself in disbelief, or remember exactly where you were when you heard the news.

This moment, the Crystal Palace signing of World Class Frenchman Yohan Cabaye for a club record fee, this is one of those moments. In the context of football, it's the equivalent to when Crystal Palace signed Atilio Lombardo, or when Middlesborough signed Juninho – a signing that shows a level of ambition and intent few could have imagined.

It is so because of where Crystal Palace were just five years ago, scraping together a squad of free-transfers in the hope of having a squad ready to start the season with. Fast-forward to today, and Palace fans are pinching themselves so hard it's drawing blood – this is just so unexpected.

Unheard of, in fact. Palace don't deserve a player of this calibre – just ask the fans of clubs that were also reported to be interested in. He can't go to Palace - it's Palace for crying out loud!

When the move was first mooted, the expectation would be that it would follow the typical Palace steps. Get linked, get excited, get gazumped and get  disappointed – we knew it would never work out. That's what we expect. That's what we were waiting for.

Even at the point where Cabaye was having a medical – the last point in the transfer process – we expected it not to happen. He’d fail the medical. He'd do what Willian did to Tottenham and leave for another club right after the medical - that's what we expected. He'd see sense and find another club. 

And yet, through a miraculous turn of events, here we are - celebrating the arrival of the most high-profile signing the club has ever made. It isn't just a significant moment because of the enormity, but because it signals a change in how others perceive the club.

And that's the really historic point for the club - it's time to take Palace seriously, because serious players do too.

Welcome Yohan. May the next four years at Selhurst Park bring you as much joy as the news your signing gave to us today.

Follow Rob on Twitter.

Well, it's that time again. The transfer window has re-opened and the planet is awash with rumours that the world is going to end because Palace are being linked with some very high calibre players. Matt Webb takes a look at the potential ins and outs as rumoured in the press this summer. 

IN

YOHAN CABAYE

Following a lack of first team appearances at Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, French international midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been heavily linked with a move back to England and a possible reunion with former manager Alan Pardew. Cabaye has welcomed the link to Palace by speaking positively of Pardew saying: “I enjoyed it with him and he does a great job …. The most important thing is to find fun. If I have to make that decision, it will be a pleasure to see my old coach.”

A dynamic central midfielder who lit up the Premier League while at Newcastle with his technical ability, ball control and vision, Cabaye also has an eye for goal, scoring 17 during his two and half seasons on Tyneside.

Cabaye needs first team football if he is to cement his place in the French squad for next years European Championship and with the tournament taking place in his home country it will be an occasion the Frenchman will not want to miss.

LOIC REMY

Another potential reunion for Pardew is the speculated transfer of Chelsea striker Loïc Rémy to South London. French newspaper L’equipe first reported the link a week ago and the rumours gathered pace following the recent news that Colombian forward Falcao has now signed for Chelsea, which pushes Rémy even further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

Rémy is a powerful center forward with great pace who can also be used effectively on the wings. A proven goalscorer in both Ligue 1 and the Premier League, Rémy would be an ideal target for the likes of Bolasie and Zaha. Having made his tournament debut at last year’s World Cup in Brazil, the French forward will be looking to kick on from there and will know that regular game time is vital.

STEVE MANDANDA

Highly rated French goalkeeper Steve Mandanda is one of four French players already to be linked to Palace this summer as Alan Pardew’s French connection begins to bear fruit for the Eagles.

Marseille captain Mandanda is an excellent shot stopper with superb reflexes, he is powerful and commanding in the box and while only 30 (still a relatively young for a goalkeeper), he comes with tremendous experience that would make him a tremendous replacement for the aging Speroni.

Mandanda is quoted as saying he is open to a new challenge and London newspaper the Metro claim that Palace have already made enquiries.

ASHLEY COLE

Former Eagle and England centurion Ashley Cole is another name linked with Palace in L’equipe. After his brief spell at Palace in 99/00, Cole has gone on to have an immensely successful career winning titles with Arsenal and was an integral part of the famous Champions League winning Chelsea team.

At the end of the 2013/14 season Chelsea famously did not renew the contracts of some of their veteran players, Frank Lampard joined Manchester City and Ashley Cole moved to Italy with AS Roma. Cole has not featured as much as he would have liked at Roma and sources close to the left back suggest he is interested in a move back to London.

Not long ago Ashley Cole was arguably the world’s best left back and many Chelsea fans were angry with the decision to let him leave; With reunions in vogue at Selhurst Park these days, could we see Cole back in the red and blue?

OUT

SCOTT DANN

Since joining from Blackburn in January 2014, Scott Dann has been nothing short of a revelation: His performances at the heart of the Palace defence last season earned him the Crystal Palace Player of the Year and the calls to see the Liverpudlian in the England squad have grown louder.

His terrific displays last season have not gone unnoticed with the Mirror claiming that Everton are interested in signing Dann and that worryingly the interest is mutual with Dann favouring a return to his home in the North of England.

In order to keep progressing, Palace need to do everything within their power to keep hold of their center back and one hopes that the boyhood Liverpool fan will prefer to stay in London rather than pulling on the Everton shirt.

YANNICK BOLASIE

Bolasie made many headlines last season, most notably after his 11-minute hat trick at the Stadium of Light. Several newspapers have linked the tricky Palace winger with a move away, with both the Daily Mail and the Star reporting that Bolasie is a transfer target of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, although Spurs have recently ruled out a bid.

Bolasie is a popular figure within the Palace dressing room and his flamboyant performances have seen him become a fan favourite, but Pardew has admitted that should an incredible bid come in for him, you can never say never.

MILE JEDINAK

Crystal Palace captain, Mile Jedinak has been a rock at center of the Crystal Palace midfield and over the course of the last two seasons the Australian has statistically been one of the top performing midfielders in the Premier League.

Jedinak enjoyed his best form while under the stewardship of Tony Pulis, but upon his return from the Asian Cup the Australian struggled to retain his place in the Palace starting XI. In Jedinak’s absence Joe Ledley and James McArthur had formed a formidable partnership and despite fears to the contrary the team had coped well without their talisman. Jedinak was also the subject of a violent misconduct charge from the FA and upon a guilty verdict was handed a lengthy ban.

Jedinak will be 31 at the start of next season and recently the Daily Mail reported that Pardew is looking to off-load his captain, with former manager Tony Pulis, now at West Brom, monitoring the situation with interest.

WAYNE HENNESSEY

Welsh international goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was brought to Palace by Tony Pulis in the 2014 January transfer window. Pulis explained that the transfer was completed to provide competition for Julian Speroni’s number 1 jersey, and many had speculated that Hennessey would go on to be Speroni’s long term successor. The increased competition seemingly worked with Speroni going on to have one of his best ever seasons at Selhurst Park, restricting Hennessey to very few opportunities between the posts for Palace.

Reliable when called upon, Hennessey is definitely a keeper of Premier League standard, but should Palace be successful in luring Steve Mandanda to the club Hennessey might look upon a move favourably. Recent reports indicate that Tony Pulis is keen to bring the 6’5” goalkeeper to West Brom.