Crystal Palace sealed a three-year deal with goalkeeper Vicente Guaita on a free transfer from Getafe last month. The Spanish star happens to be the first summer signing for Roy Hodgson.
The Eagles had a disastrous start last season, losing their first seven matches. In fact, they remained in the relegation zone for the initial 17 weeks. The club eventually bounced back to finish 11th but they have a tough task ahead of them.
Hodgson must work towards securing a better finish for the club and Guaita’s presence will certainly help them on that front. Now, let us take a look at the reasons why Roy Hodgson has struck gold with the signing of Vicente Guaita.
Upon securing a deal for the goalkeeper, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish said,
“We are pleased that we beat off the competition for his (Vicente Guaita) signature.”
These words coming from the chairman speak volumes about the whole scenario. Guaita has enjoyed a widely successful career over the years and he was a force to reckon with in the La Liga. Now, at Palace, the veteran custodian will have a tough job to do between the sticks.
A graduate of Valencia’s youth academy, Guaita spent 14 years in Mestalla, where he went on to represent Los Che in more than 100 games in all competitions. Having created a name for himself, the young lad eventually moved to Getafe in 2014 where he was a regular in the starting XI.
He had a brilliant 2017/18 season which prompted Hodgson to sign him in the first place. Guaita maintained 12 clean sheets the term, which played a key role in helping his side finish 8th. With an average of 2.88 saves per match and a 90% claim success rate, Guaita will be a crucial presence for Palace next season.
Vicente Guaita will definitely be a great replacement for the club’s four-time Player of the Year winner Julian Speroni. It’s always hard to replace a player who has been an integral part of the club for over a decade. Speroni has been a loyal warrior for the Eagles for 14 years, protecting the goalpost day in and day out. But with the 39-year-old legend entering fag end of his career, the club have opted for Guaita who would be the right person to fill Speroni’s shoes.
With a decade of experience, Guaita will definitely turn out to be an asset for Crystal Palace. And getting to train alongside Speroni will only improve the player in various aspects of the game and turn him into him an unstoppable force for the Eagles next season.
