Swansea City have signed former Crystal Palace captain Joel Ward on a contract until the end of the season.
Ward, 36, has been without a club since ending a 13-year spell at Selhurst Park last summer.
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But Swansea have found a player capable of operating at right-back or central defense.
Swansea have been looking for a player to compete with Josh Key, having used Ethan Galbraith – who is most comfortable in central midfield – on the right flank of their defense on several occasions in recent weeks.
Ward also gives manager Vitor Matos an option at the heart of defense, where Kaelan Casey has replaced Ben Cabango and Cameron Burgess this season, with summer signing Ricardo Santos only featuring once as a replacement.
Ward spent 13 seasons playing for Palace in the Premier League after helping the Eagles win promotion from the Championship in 2012-13, his first year at the club after arriving from Portsmouth.
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He made 364 appearances for Palace, scoring six goals, but only played three times last season.
Ward was an unused substitute when Oliver Glasner’s side beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final last May, having recently played regular football when he made 26 appearances during the 2023-24 season.
Ward described the cup triumph as a “fairytale ending” to his playing career at Palace.
“It’s been an incredible journey with so many great memories, so many incredible moments – moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” he said in a statement last May.
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“It’s not a ‘goodbye’, it’s just a ‘see you later’.”
Ward, born in Hampshire, made 96 senior appearances for Portsmouth after attending Pompey’s academy, while he also played 25 times for Bournemouth while on loan as a youth.
