Palace Want Ash - Silly Season Gets Sillier
Thursday, 25th Jun 2015 21:19 by Planet Swans (follow us on Twitter @swansnews)

I have to say that I laughed out loud earlier when I heard the story that Crystal Palace want to make an audacious bid to take Ashley Williams to Selhurst Park, I fully expected it to be followed by the Garry Monk eyes up a move for Luis Suarez story.

What I ask from here is whether anyone could tell me why Ashley Williams would want to consider a move to Crystal Palace or why Swansea would consider selling their captain to a club who have finished lower down the table than they have.

At least with the Liverpool rumour you could see some half logic in it with Liverpool clearly having ambition of a Top four place for next season and Ashley being one of the most composed centre halves in the division.

But there is no logic in Palace wanting to make a move other than it potentially could increase season ticket sales as fans believe that they have great ambitions but those ambitions will clearly die out when it turns out to be nothing other than paper talk.

I hate to say this and it sounds 'big club mentality' but a move to Palace would be a backward step for someone like Williams and in a season where he will not want any backward steps and at a time of his career where he couldn't afford any there is no way that this one has any truth in it at all and is probably the craziest, funniest rumour I have heard all summer.

File in the Vincent Tan school of humour

Photo: Action Images

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CPFC1983 added 22:36 - Jun 25

Palace fan (obviously) in peace here, just wanting to correct you on your assumption.

We would NOT be interested in Williams because he might sell a few more season tickets! For a start, given our relatively small ground, we sell out of them anyway - we did in our first year, we did last year, we will this year. Secondly with been linked to a lot bigger and better "season ticket selling" players than Williams, such as Remy and Cabaye. The majority of Palace fans aren't deluded enough to think we have a good chance of getting them (we're no Cardiff after all...). No offence to Williams, he is a class defender but defenders don't sell tickets like strikers or creative midfielders do. If it were an issue keeping Bolasie would sell more tickets than buying any defender.

Why would we make a move for him? We probably wouldn't, he's the wrong side of 30 to be spending what you'd probably want for him, if you were accept bids at all. But why we would want him is obvious, he's a good solid CB and we could do with one. Personally I'd want rather someone cheaper and younger.

Why are Palace being linked to him? The same reason we're linked to pretty much ever Welsh international (aside from Bale, which really would be ridiculous) - we have two welsh internationals already (3 if you count Joniesta) and previously we had Pulis and now we have Pardew who briefly played with Coleman.

I agree it would be a backwards step for Williams to go from Swansea to Palace, assuming he continues to get regular first team football. However I'd wager that for a welsh international; playing first team football for the only welsh side established in the Premier League as oppose to playing first team football for a Croydon establishing PL team is a bigger reason than playing for the team that came 8th over the team that game 10th.