Alan Pardew has likened the signing of Yohan Cabaye

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has likened the signing of Yohan Cabaye to the arrival of Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea 12 months ago.

The signing of the Spaniard proved inspirational for the West London outfit as they managed to win the league title for the first time in five years. After working with Cabaye during his time at Newcastle United, Pardew did not waste any time to take advantage of the unhappiness that the player had at Paris St Germain. Cabaye had moved to the French giants only recently for around £ 20 million, but he was unhappy with the lack of playing time under Laurent Blanc.

As soon as Crystal Palace were made aware of the situation, they made an offer of £ 10 million for the player. Rather than keep an unhappy player at the club, PSG decided to offload the 29-year-old back to the Premier league. Since his arrival, he has been an important member of the team even in the pre-season games. The quality shown by the French international appears to have really inspired the rest of the team going into the new league campaign. Even though Crystal Palace had a strong finish to last season under Pardew, replicating the success this season will be tough.

"I like to think he’s going to be our [Cesc] Fabregas - someone who unlocks the door in a tight game; someone who knows when to attack, when to keep the ball. I watch Fabregas and, at times, Chelsea are, say, leading 2-0 and he has the chance to pass and bisect the centre-half and full-back and instead he will keep it. He knows that the better option is to win the game. To keep the ball. Cabaye has that intelligence and game management as well,” said the Crystal Palace manager.