Looking to get one over on London rivals Chelsea, Crystal Palace are now reportedly keen to hijack the Blues' chase to sign an impressive Ligue 1 defender who has been compared to Dayot Upamecano.
Crystal Palace at risk of losing European place
For all their hard work, Dean Henderson's save to deny Omar Marmoush's penalty, Eberechi Eze's Wembley heroics and Oliver Glasner's tactical victory over Pep Guardiola which was months in the making, it could all come crashing down for Crystal Palace. The Eagles looked set to soar across Europe for the first time, but UEFA may well be about to clip their wings.
The same shareholder cannot hold a majority stake in two clubs in the same European competition and that's a problem for John Textor, who not only holds large shares in the South London club but also French club Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League. Naturally, the simple solution for all may have been to at least drop Palace into the Europa Conference League. That too would be a problem, however.
dean-henderson-premier-league-crystal-palace-1 Related
Crystal Palace battling to sign £150k-p/w ace with same agent as Henderson
He could be their first signing of the summer.
Like Textor, Dan Blitzer's involvement in Brondby means that he would have two clubs in the UEFA Conference League. Simply put, Palace would have the same problem again and they're now at risk of being kicked out of European football altogether.
When INEOS had the same problem amid Manchester United and Nice's European qualification, they put shares into a blind trust to navigate past the rules. The City Group did the same when Manchester City and Getafe both qualified for the Champions League. Although they have reportedly since offered to do the same, however, Crystal Palace have missed the deadline to do so.
Whether Textor and Parish's meeting with UEFA on Tuesday changed things remains to be seen. For now, Palace must hope for the best and push on with their summer preparations, including on the transfer front.
Crystal Palace keen to hijack Doukoure chase
According to The Boot Room, Crystal Palace are now keen to hijack Chelsea's chase to sign Ismael Doukoure this summer. The Strasbourg defender enjoyed an excellent season in France and, at 21 years old, is attracting plenty of interest from across Europe. Given that Marc Guehi has been the subject of several exit rumours at Selhurst Park too, a move for the Strasbourg man would certainly make sense for Palace.
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U23 scout Antonio Mango went as far as to describe Doukoure as "magnificent" in 2023, whilst scout Jacek Kulig compared the defender to Bayern Munich's Upamencao in incredibly high praise, praising his pace, anticipation and aerial ability.
League stats 24/25 (via FBref) Ismael Doukoure Dayot Upamecano
Minutes 2,639 1,759
Progressive Carries 20 17
Tackles Won 22 22
Aerial Duel Win Percentage 61.9% 58.4%
Kulig's comparison certainly makes sense. When compared, Doukoure kept up with Upamecano in possession - albeit having played more minutes - and impressively outperformed him in the air.
Also matching his fellow Frenchman for tackles won, Doukoure will be desperate to follow a similar path to the top as Upamecano and that could first feature a move to the Premier League courtesy of Crystal Palace.