The negativity hanging over Oliver Glasner has been put on hold after Crystal Palace steered past Zrinjski Mostar to secure their place in the last 16 of the Conference League.
Palace are one of the favourites, if not the favourite, to win the third-tier European competition this season in what would make it back-to-back title-winning campaigns for Glasner.
The Austrian coach has changed Selhurst Park and established a different mentality toward success, but he's also out of contract at the end of the season and has said in no uncertain terms that he plans to move on.
Change is afoot, and Glasner's not the only one heading off, with Jean-Philippe Mateta's time at the club surely coming to an end even after his deadline-day medical with AC Milan fell through at the start of February.
The latest on Mateta's Crystal Palace career
Mateta has made startling gains in the time since he joined Crystal Palace from Mainz in January 2022. The deal was worth £9m, and the Frenchman had spent the previous 12 months on loan at Selhurst Park, scoring three times across 15 appearances.
Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta
Now, he's regarded as "one of the best strikers in the Premier League", according to analyst Ben Mattinson, having only been outscored by five players since the start of the 2023/24 season.
However, there's no denying Mateta's drop-off this term, influenced, it would seem, by external noise regarding his future at the club. He angled for a move away in January but did not get his wish.
Even so, Palace have acted to replace the 29-year-old and his exit at the end of the season seems inevitable.
Glasner's Top Scorers at Crystal Palace
Player
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Ismaila Sarr
Eberechi Eze
Eddie Nketiah
Daniel Munoz
Jorgen Strand Larsen has already arrived in a club-record deal, and he has the potential to replace the France international.
Moreover, Evann Guessand has been in fine form since joining the Eagles on loan in January. The 24-year-old struggled to bring it all together with Aston Villa, but he's playing with a new lease of life and might just be angling for a permanent agreement come summer.
These players have the potential to be fantastic signings, especially when considering Mateta's situation, but there's another Palace star who has actually the best signing at the club in the time since Mateta completed his transfer from Mainz.
Crystal Palace star is their best signing since Mateta
Crystal Palace have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years, and that success is built on careful, calculated recruitment.
There have been a number of impactful additions to remain mainstays at the end of the Glasner era, but Adam Wharton might just be the definitive superstar, only two years on from leaving Blackburn Rovers in the Championship and signing for the Londoners in an £18m package.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton reacts after being sent off
He's still only 22 years old, but Wharton has already attracted the attention of the Premier League's top brass. However, Steve Parish is well aware that the midfielder is a sensation and has responded to intrigue by placing a £82m price tag on him. In that, Wharton would become the most expensive sale in the outfit's history.
The aforementioned Mattinson has described him as a "cheat code" for his unique and inventive passing, so you can see why interest has already thickened.
The England international is a joy to watch, but there's also substance within that skillset. In the Premier League this season, he's averaging 2.3 tackles and 4.7 duels per game, and given that he recovers more than five balls each outing, Wharton is maximising his presence, stretching his influence all across the park.
Given that Palace landed Wharton on the cheap, you can see why there's such excitement around him and his potential. He is unquestionably the cream of the crop, and while the likes of Mateta may leave for a new challenge, every effort must be made to keep Wharton at the club.
Guessand has started his Crystal Palace career on the front foot, but it's far too premature to start suggesting he's the club's best signing in recent years.
England's Adam Wharton reacts
Wharton has already played an instrumental part in title-winning successes and would like fetch a club-record price, were he to leave. He's one of a kind.
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