Journalist Tom Barclay has revealed that Patrick Vieira played a major role in convincing Joachim Andersen to sign for Crystal Palace in the summer.

Andersen arrived at Selhurst Park for £20m in July from Lyon, having spent last season on loan at Fulham.

How has Andersen fared at Crystal Palace so far?

The 25-year-old began the season on the bench for Palace's opening match against Chelsea, but he has been an ever-present in the starting line-up ever since.

In his nine starts, Andersen has helped the Eagles keep three clean sheets, the latest of which came against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Andersen was at the top of his game, making five clearances and completing two tackles on his way to a WhoScored match rating of 7.01 at the home of the Premier League champions.

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What has Barclay said about Andersen?

Barclay has acknowledged that Andersen did get relegated with Fulham last term, but he was still a much sought after player in the recent transfer window.

In the end, he opted to move to Palace, and Barclay claims that Vieira played a big role in influencing his decision.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “When it comes to some of the signings they made this summer, Joachim Andersen being a prime example, a player who was well-liked by lots of clubs. I know Fulham got relegated, but he impressed a lot last season, and I think he had other options.

“And, I’m told that his conversation with Vieira was a real big factor in him deciding to commit his best years to Crystal Palace. He clearly was won over by him.”

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Will Vieira be able to continue to tempt big names to Palace?

Andersen was part of a Lyon squad that made the Champions League semi-finals last year, and he was also involved in Denmark's setup that got to the last four of the Euros in the summer. Some may have expected him to go to a bigger club than Palace, yet he decided that the south London club was the best option for him.

Vieira is a huge name in football after his iconic career at Arsenal, among other clubs. He has already shown that he can make a big impact at Palace by bringing in Andersen, plus helping youngsters such as Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi to flourish.

If he can add one or two more high-quality operators to his squad in the next couple of transfer windows, he may be able to build something rather special at Palace.

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