Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace, following their FA Cup-winning season in 2024/25, have continued to go from strength to strength as they look to add more silverware to their trophy cabinet. Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and Marc Guehi are among the Londoners' most-important players but Maxence Lacroix has wormed himself into said conversation after his performance against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League.
Palace's triumph over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at the Home of Football, Wembley Stadium, meant they were in line for a spot in the Europa League – but they were demoted to Europe's third-tier competition after UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) ruled the Premier League club was too closely linked to Olympique Lyonnais. Nottingham Forest took their spot.
With two wins from three now on the continental stage, those of a Selhurst Park persuasion will be looking ahead to a prospective final at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. Given the star-studded nature of Glasner's squad, they have as good a chance as any to reach the showpiece on May 27, 2026, and 2000-born Lacroix – a central defender signed from the Bundesliga's VfL Wolsfburg in 2024 – will be central to that.
Lacroix's Compelling Case For Being Glasner's Most Important Squad Member
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It's no surprise that Lacroix – who rose through the ranks of the Souchaux academy before moving to Germany in the summer of 2020 – is being courted by the Premier League reigning champions Liverpool given how consistent he has been. After missing out on his teammate Marc Guehi on Deadline Day, Football Insider have reported that Lacroix could instead be on their transfer shortlist.
According to the aforementioned report, the defender – who has four years remaining on his Selhurst Park contract having arrived in 2024 on an £18 million-worth deal – has been a 'hot topic' in conversations for the Reds' recruitment team in early October. His red-hot form of late will have only piqued their interest further.
Lacroix's goal in the 22nd minute set the tone against the Dutch side. Amid chaos in the penalty box, the central defender met the ball with his right boot – and, after a lengthy VAR check, it was confirmed that he had drawn first blood. Sarr bagged a double either side of the half-time interval and Sven Mijnans' goal was merely a consolation for the visiting outfit in a 3-1 defeat.
The French defender's strike aside, he played 90 minutes at the heart of the Palace defence and was defensively robust. Statistically, he took an atypically high number of three shots – one of which, his goal, was on target – and took 42 touches of the ball. Alongside that, he played four passes into the final third.
Although he was a regular presence going upfield, the 25-year-old racked up an eye-catching total of 11 defensive contributions – including three tackles and six clearances. Elsewhere, he won 50% of his duels – 3/6 on the ground and 1/2 aerially.
Maxence Lacroix Statistics vs AZ Alkmaar
Minutes
Touches
Goals
Total Shots
Accurate Passes
Tackles
Clearances
Recoveries
Overall Rating
Not only was his stand-out European performance on home soil tonight more than impressive, but this has been a regular occurrence for the twice-capped France Under-20 international since the start of his side's trophy-chasing campaign. Across all competitions, he's racked up 17 appearances; in fact, he's yet to miss a single minute for the south London club.
By that notion, it would be difficult to argue that Lacroix is not the most important member of Glasner's squad. London-born Guehi and Chris Richards join Lacroix, who may have taken time to settle into life in the Premier League, as a formidable three-man defence – but the Frenchman's concoction of high defensive IQ and threat in the final third means he is entirely essential.
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That is quite an achievement given how well Palace have operated since August. The likes of Mateta, Adam Wharton and even Dean Henderson are awfully talented in their own respects – but Glasner's insistence on playing him rain or shine is the biggest point towards him being one of the Austrian manager's undroppable assets.
All statistics per FotMob – correct as of 06/11/2025