Glasner will want to keep hold of his best playersGlasner will want to keep hold of his best players
Glasner will want to keep hold of his best players | AFP via Getty Images
The players who will likely depart Crystal Palace this summer and those who probably won’t.
Crystal Palace are now on break after concluding their Premier League season over the weekend. It was a stellar campaign from Oliver Glasner’s men, who secured their first-ever major trophy and European qualification after winning the FA Cup.
Attention now turns to the summer as Palace look to prepare for another Premier League campaign, one they will have to balance with European football. Depth is going to be required and signings are likely, but it’s also likely the Eagles will lose some of their top talent. Here we take a look at the likely stays and departures.
Players who could leave
Marc Guehi
Palace are in a difficult situation with Guehi. They have stood firm by their big valuation over the last year or so, with Newcastle United and Tottenham both told to pay up or move on. Neither did the former and both did the latter, allowing the Eagles to keep hold of their star defender for another season.
But Guehi’s contract is up next summer, and Palace are now in a position where they must consider selling Guehi or losing him for free next season or on a signficiatnly reduced fee in January if they can’t agree a new contract.
Chelsea and others have been linked, and the reality is that Palace would have to sell for less than their previous valuation. Unless Guehi surprises many by penning a new deal, it looks as though he is the most likely to move on.
Eze is under contract until 2027, and that allows Palace to put a big price tag on their star attacker. They will also be emboldened in the case that Guehi goes first, and combined with the European football money, the Eagles can stand by Eze’s reported release clause of £68million.
But Eze has proven himself on such a consistent basis that the £68million release clause seems like a fair fee that many of the top clubs will surely consider paying. It feels like, even with Palace’s clear progress, that Eze might have outgrown the club, possessing sufficient ability to go and compete for titles. That’s what this one might come down to, and if his clause is activated, Palace will surely have a hard time convincing him to stay, even with European football as a carrot.
Players who probably won’t
Adam Wharton
Wharton looks to have a huge future, but Palace are not going to be in the business of allowing their squad to be pulled apart this summer. Having secured European football, the Eagles are not under pressure to sell, and they almost certainly won’t aside from the exceptions above, which both have causes.
Wharton is under a long-term contract, and Palace shouldn’t have much trouble convincing him to stay and continuing to develop. The Englishman has gone from Championship to Europe in a couple of years, and having struggled with injury this season, he will feel he can make an even better case to bag a top move in the future.
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Mateta has been another one of Palace’s standout players, but the striker is not regarded among the very best in the world, and once you take out the very top clubs, you wonder what kind of club the Frenchman would consider a step up at this stage of his career. He is enjoying strong form at Selhurst Park, and the Eagles are clearly progressing as a club.
Mateta and Glasner clearly have a strong relationship, and while Palace are going to have to give him a solid pay rise, a departure does not appear likely at this stage, especially with Palace likely being able to compete well with other clubs on the wage front due to their success this season and the likely departures.
Daniel Muñoz
The 29-year-old has been a sensation at Palace, and missing just one league game all season, the wing-back has had a profound impact on the club’s success this season. There have been some whispers of Muñoz attracting attention, but Palace have him locked down to a new contract, and given his importance to Glasner’s plans, the Palace boss will likely want to be assured that offers are not going to be considered this summer.
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