Tomiyasu at Selhurst Park is a weird timeline

So, Crystal Palace decided that the best way to spend their summer was to raid the bargain bin of north London. News broke that the Eagles are set to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu on a free transfer. If you told me three years ago that the Japanese international would be turning up at Selhurst Park for zero pounds in transfer fees, I would have checked your drink for hallucinogens.

Look, the man has tools. He is functionally ambidextrous on the pitch and knows how to hide in a defensive block, but this feels like a career pivot that needs a map. Palace needs identity, not just a guy who remembers how to mark Bukayo Saka in training. He passed a trial, which is great for his ego, but letโ€™s be honest: when you are bringing in free agents in August, you are essentially scrounging for leftovers at a buffet that closed twenty minutes ago.

The Solly March chase is pure chaos

Now they are sniffing around Solly March. I like March. He is a workhorse who knows the Premier League like the back of his hand, but he is coming off a knee injury that essentially erased his 2024. Why are we betting on a guy whose ligaments might be held together by hope and medical tape?

As the BBC reported, the club is actively weighing this move. It screams desperation. It screams that the front office panic-watched a highlights reel from 2023 and decided that was enough due diligence for one afternoon. It is the transfer window equivalent of buying a used car because it has a cool paint job, ignoring the fact that the engine is leaking oil all over your driveway.

The math on this squad build doesn't add up

Palace fans are used to the turbulence, but this is a specific kind of aimless wandering. You don't build a squad that competes for the top half of the table by collecting players who were essentially surplus to requirements elsewhere. They need a spark, someone to actually dictate the pace, not more depth pieces who need a brochure to find the training ground.

If Tomiyasu stays healthy, maybe he provides 30 appearances of serviceable defending. But that is a massive if. The last time I checked, a squad needs more than just utility players to move the needle. They have managed to offload some wages, but replacing production with potential free-agent gambles is a risky game that usually ends with a bottom-half finish and a disgruntled fanbase.

This isn't about failing to sign stars; it is about the lack of a coherent plan. Bringing in Tomiyasu on a free is technically a steal, but only if he actually plays like a starter. Right now, this roster looks like a draft board that got knocked over and put back together by someone who didn't care about the final picture. If this is the plan to keep the team mid-table, they are in for a long, ugly season.