Joe Ledley signs

I’ve been in the Big Apple for a few days. There was nip in the air, and it felt very Christmassy. Now on the plane back home and I read that Lee Bowyer has unwrapped his own Christmas gift, in fact if Joe Ledley’s magnificent beard was any greyer, we may have signed old Santa himself.

Lee Bowyer has been forced into the free agent market and ex-Cardiff, Celtic and Palace midfielder Ledley has signed on a short-term contract.

Ledley last played a competitive game 16 months ago when he was with Derby, yet he has been training with boyhood club Cardiff City since the summer when for reasons unknown he almost signed for Fortuna Sittard in Holland and Paphos FC in Cyprus, but neither deal was ever finalized.

He has been at Sparrows Lane all week, and Bowyer was impressed enough to give him a short term contract, sanctioned I guess by Duchatelet, and will probably be on the bench at Middlesbrough tomorrow with Lyle Taylor and Chuks Aneke.

I expect Steve Gallen has done his homework on the vastly experienced 32-year and he will know fellow Welshmen Jonny Williams, who was also at Palace and Adam Matthews, with whom Ledley played together with at Celtic. Tom Lockyer makes up the Addicks Welsh contingent.