According to reports from The Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are eyeing Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso as a potential replacement for Patrick van Aanholt.

The Dutchman’s contract expires at the end of the season, although the club are discussing a new deal with him, and Alonso has been identified as a possible successor on the left of the Eagles’ defensive line.

Alonso was a key part of the Chelsea side that won the Premier League title under Antonio Conte but his importance has waned since the Italian’s exit and this season has seen him leapfrogged in the pecking order by Frank Lampard’s new man, Marcos Alonso.

It appears the conditions are right for a deal to be struck then, but would Alonso be a wise signing for the Eagles? GIVEMESPORT consider three potential consequences below…

Marcos Alonso 2017/18

More tactical flexibility

Roy Hodgson

To say Hodgson has a very specific way of setting up his team would be something of an understatement. The Palace gaffer is one of the true torchbearers of the two banks of four approach in the Premier League, because he’s exclusively used a four-man defence during his time in charge at Selhurst Park. 

But it’s no secret that Alonso is far more effective as a wing-back than a conventional full-back. The more advanced role has provided 17 goals and ten assists for Chelsea, and while the Spaniard can play deeper, that’s usually where his limited defensive instincts become a lot more apparent.

So Palace’s interest in him throws up some interesting questions. The first is whether it suggests Hodgson is open to employing a three-man defence going forward, and the second is whether he’ll even be there by the time Alonso arrives, with his contract due to expire in the summer.

Perhaps Palace are targeting the 6 foot 2 defender so that the next Palace manager has the option to change things up - although that’s purely speculative thinking.

Another high-earning defender

Marcos Alonso

At this point we have no idea how much Palace would be prepared to pay Alonso, but judging by the fact he currently takes home £100k a week at Chelsea, it’s safe to assume he would be amongst the club’s top earners.

Wilfried Zaha currently takes home the biggest Palace paycheque, which is only £30k per week higher that what Alonso gets as a backup option at Stamford Bridge.

Alonso will feel his pedigree deserves handsome reimbursement and when looking at Palace’s interest in a vacuum, one might well struggle to disagree. He is, after all, a Spain international and a former Premier League winner.

But agreeing a salary anywhere above the £60k mark would sustain a worrying trend for the Eagles. As things stand, five of the club’s top ten earners are either defenders (Cheikhou Kouyate included) or goalkeepers, while the versatile Jeffrey Schlupp could arguably fall into that category as well to make it six.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but logic suggests that if you want to progress in modern football, most of your financial resources should be dedicated to attacking personnel.

Handing over the big bucks to Alonso, albeit a particularly forward-thinking defender, feels like going against the grain and Palace falling into the same old traps.

Plan to drive down squad age & wage bill goes out the window

Steve Parish

The Athletic recently reported that Palace had offered a new contract to Jairo Riedewald because they see him as an important figure in their plans to drive down the club’s squad age and the cost of the wage bill, but a move for Alonso would seemingly contradict that.

We’ve already discussed the likelihood that he’ll be on a big salary at Selhurst Park, but this is also a player who’ll turn 30 next month. Palace currently have the oldest average squad age in the Premier League and what’s most worrying is that Alonso would actually make it worse - he’s older than the current mean of 28.4 years

Perhaps Alonso is intended to be an exception to the rule, but it seems like a step in the wrong direction for the Eagles if they do wish to develop a younger and cheaper squad over the next few years.