Crystal Palace new boy James Tomkins admits chance to work with Alan Pardew again was too good to turn down
Boss gave centre-back his break at West Ham and will now be relying on him for Premier League push after £10m deal
NEW Crystal Palace signing James Tomkins admits the chance to work with Alan Pardew again was too good to turn down.
Palace confirmed a £10million deal for the West Ham ace on Tuesday afternoon, having already spent £13m on Newcastle winger Andros Townsend.
A shock £31.5m bid for Liverpool’s Christian Benteke is also on the cards, and it’s clear Pardew is aiming for more than a top-half finish next season.
The Selhurst Park favourite gave Tomkins his Hammers break over a decade ago, and the pair will now be reunited for the upcoming campaign.
Tomkins looks set to slot straight into the starting XI, and has revealed he can’t wait to be giving his all on the pitch for Pardew once again.
: “I’m really excited to be here. I was at West Ham for a long time so it’s a good change for me and I’m really excited to get started.
“It’s a massive club, they’re London based and I’ve worked with Alan Pardew before as a scholar.
“He helped me through by getting me training with the first-team when I was a kid and got my career started which I’ve always been thankful for, so it’s nice to be reunited with him.
“He’s been interested in signing me previously so it was an easy decision when I heard Palace were interested.”