Crystal Palace forward Christantus Uche's career at Selhurst Park is surely over after what happened on deadline day in the January transfer window, if it wasn't already.
Uche was brought to Selhurst Park in the previous summer transfer window, joining the club from La Liga outfit Getafe. In the Premier League this season, the Nigerian international is still searching for his first start, playing a total of 12 games, featuring for just 155 minutes in England's top flight.
The 22-year-old has even struggled for minutes in other competitions, starting just three games in total for the capital club. Oliver Glasner has shown this season that he's not so keen on rotating his squad, perhaps sending a message to the board about their squad depth, and the January window has now made things even more difficult for Uche.
January Window Ruins Uche's Palace Plans
Christantus Uche Crystal Palace Shelbourne
In the January transfer window, Palace made a play to secure the signature of Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves, adding further depth to Glasner's attack. The Norwegian was likely eyed as a replacement for Jean-Philippe Mateta, but the French striker has remained at Selhurst Park after an exit fell through.
That leaves Glasner with Eddie Nketiah, Strand Larsen, another new signing Evann Guessand, and Mateta as striker options, alongside Uche, with the aforementioned players all likely ahead of Uche in the pecking order.
Mateta's chances of playing time remain up in the air after medical issues were raised ahead of a possible move to AC Milan, but what Glasner did at the weekend shows that, even though Mateta was unavailable, Uche still isn't in his plans.
Uche started on the bench against Nottingham Forest, with Glasner preferring to play Brennan Johnson in the centre-forward position.
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Uche's Versatility Still Not Helping Him
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Uche is also capable of playing in the number 10 position, but Glasner is reluctant to give him many opportunities there too. Palace pushed to sign Dwight McNeil before a move fell through at the last minute, and there's no doubt the Everton star would have also been ahead of him in the pecking order.
Even though just Strand Larsen arrived, what happened on deadline day shows that Uche's time at Palace is surely over. He needs to move on for his own career, and it would be a huge surprise to see him in a Palace shirt heading into the 2026/2027 season.