Fans may still not be over the high of winning the FA Cup, but Oliver Glasner is now focused on utilising the summer transfer window to best prepare his squad for what will be a gruelling 2025/26 season. The Austrian coach has won the Europa League before, but will know how much of a toll the extra games will take on his players. Crystal Palace are targeting Josh Acheampong from Chelsea to aid with squad depth on a loan spell.
Crystal Palace Target Josh Acheampong Loan From Chelsea to ‘Follow in Footsteps’ of Conor Gallagher
Only One Premier League Loan Allowed
Mike McGrath, of The Telegraph, has revealed that Crystal Palace have enquired to Chelsea about a season-long loan for their “wonderkid”, Acheampong. Reportedly, he is their primary signing from Chelsea this summer, as clubs are only allowed one loan from the same Premier League team.
McGrath describes how the two London clubs have a “history of working together with successful loans heading to Selhurst Park”. He explains how Acheampong could “follow in the footsteps” of the likes of Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell also had spells in the last campaign.
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The journalist reports that the decision is down to Chelsea as to whether they would prefer to keep him around Enzo Maresca’s squad.
The ‘Perfect Loan’
Heading into a season which, for Crystal Palace, will be even more congested than usual, depth and versatility are key. McGrath describes this as “the perfect loan to bolster Glasner’s backline” as they are set to play in European football; the 19-year-old is capable of playing at centre-back or right-back.
With the current formation requiring three centre-backs, and Marc Guehi potentially departing, another central defender readily available could be key. In the last campaign, Jefferson Lerma often had to step in as a makeshift centre-half. Meanwhile, it is unclear as to how much his wide talents will be utilised, with Glasner’s wing-backs quite different to the traditional full-back. Daniel Munoz certainly has that position locked down, but if the more defensive Acheampong was required to play, the system may need to be tweaked.
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Regardless, for Palace, any extra squad depth will be welcomed, and if the Englishman can perform anything like Gallagher or Loftus-Cheek, this will be a successful loan.