Crystal Palace were reportedly in the running to sign Arnaut Danjuma from Villarreal this month and Patrick Vieira will surely rue not bringing him to Selhurst Park.

According to reports from France, Palace were linked with signing the former Bournemouth man but were ousted initially by Everton, with the Dutch winger seemingly on the brink of a switch to Goodison Park.

However, the sacking of Frank Lampard threw the deal into chaos, with Steve Parish unable to properly take advantage, as he has now been confirmed as a Tottenham Hotspur player for the rest of the season, albeit with an option to buy of £27m.

It doesn't bode well that the Eagles were unable to convince Danjuma to join ahead of Everton, given the Toffees sit 19th in the Premier League table and are something of a shambles at the moment, but it is yet another blow to Vieira's hopes of new additions that he has opted for Spurs this month.

Since domestic football returned after the World Cup break, Palace have managed just four goals in seven games, while things could only get worse for Vieira after talismanic forward Wilfried Zaha was forced off with an injury in the draw against Newcastle United last weekend.

Therefore, a goal-scoring winger in the mould of Danjuma should surely have been a priority for Parish this week and considering he was available on loan, it would have been a no-brainer for Palace to bring him in.

The 25-year-old has struggled for consistent form this season but was one of the stars in Villarreal's impressive performances in the 2021/22 campaign, contributing 16 goals and four assists in all competitions, including six goals in the Champions League as the Spanish side reached the semi-finals.

He has also proven himself in England before, registering 17 goals and eight assists for Bournemouth in the 2020/21 campaign, before his move to Villarreal.

Kevin Phillips was full of praise for the wide man amid interest from Liverpool in January 2022.

He said: “Danjuma is a very, very good player.

“On his day he is a nightmare for defenders. He can create and score goals. He can hurt any defence with his pace and directness.

“I know it was in the Championship but he’s proved he can perform in this country. I think he’d be available for reasonable money as well. I don’t think he’d cost the world.

“He is a player who can hurt any defence on his day. He’s shown that countless times. Players like him are a rarity in this day and age.”

If he can produce anywhere near that form for Spurs, he will surely prove a worthwhile addition on loan, and Vieira will surely be disappointed that Parish couldn't complete a deal for Danjuma this month.