Crystal Palace sign Jordon Mutch and Shola Ameobi

Alan Pardew continues to bolster the ranks at Selhurst Park

Jordan Mutch of QPR (GETTY IMAGES)

Crystal Palace’s new manager Alan Pardew has been busy strengthening his squad, signing the QPR midfielder Jordon Mutch in a £4.5m deal and former Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi.

Pardew also admitted he was close to signing the £3.4m-rated Lille left-back Pape Souaré while the club are also understand to be in talks with Manchester United about a £6m deal to re-sign Wilfried Zaha before Monday’s transfer deadline.

The winger, who is on a season-long loan at Selhurst Park, is due to discuss with his representatives whether to quit Old Trafford now or return in the summer and make another attempt to revive his United career. Palace sold Zaha to United in a deal worth up to £15m two years ago. They would be looking to pay £3m to take him back, plus add-ons.

Mutch has penned a four-and-a-half-year contract with Palace after spending just 25 weeks at Loftus Road following his move from Cardiff City and could make his debut against Everton tomorrow.

“Jordon’s a player that caught my eye against my Newcastle side and he’s a young player with potential,” Pardew said. “It hasn’t quite worked out for him at QPR so we’ve given him the opportunity to come and play here.

“He’s got talent, he can score goals and in our environment, hopefully, he’ll have more success than he did at QPR. You need to score goals from all areas of the pitch in the Premier League and that’s an area where we can improve.”

Mutch made 11 appearances in all competitions for QPR. He started his career at Birmingham and moved to Cardiff in 2012, featuring 60 times for the Welsh club, helping them to secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time.

Ameobi, who was a free agent after leaving Turkish side Gaziantep in December, has signed a short-term deal until the end of the season.

Pardew, who has won his first four games in charge at Palace, is also hopeful of snapping up Souaré before the weekend. “The process is way down the line but the player isn’t in the country. His game for Senegal [at the African Nations Cup] only finished 24 hours ago so he is travelling back.

“He will come straight for a medical, and once he passes that then he will be signing.”

The striker Glenn Murray has signed a one-year extension to his Palace contract.