7th Sep 2024 • Written by Bruno Collingridge

One month behind schedule, Crystal Palace’s season may be about to kick off

It’s been a mixed start to the season in South London. 

Disappointing defeats to Brentford and West Ham were symptomatic of a team in progress amidst transfer uncertainty, whilst a flashier showing at home to Norwich in the Carabao Cup showed glimpses of the promise Palace fans feel is yet to take shape.

A first point in seven years away at Stamford Bridge was achieved with their weakest matchday squad of the campaign so far. Injuries, departures and player registration deadlines forced Oliver Glasner into naming four youth prospects on the bench - but none were called on to make an appearance. 

Thankfully for Crystal Palace, it is a dilemma unlikely to rear its head again.

Eddie Nketiah, Maxence Lacroix, Trevoh Chalobah and Matt Turner were unavailable for selection against Chelsea, but have since been registered for Palace’s squad. Jefferson Lerma has recovered from the toe injury that kept him out of Sunday’s fixture, and started for Colombia on Friday night. Matheus Franca, yet to feature this season, could offer Palace a different profile in attack when he returns from a rib fracture suffered in training.

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With four new players to settle in, it is possible that the September international break, for all of its flaws, came at the perfect time for Crystal Palace. 

Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton have struggled to return to their pre-summer fitness levels, with the latter nursing an underlying injury that saw him withdraw from the England U21 squad last week. 

Neither player was involved in a behind-closed-doors friendly played between Palace and Reading this week, in which the Eagles ran out 3-0 winners. Nketiah, Chalobah and Lacroix were among the starters, with the former Arsenal striker getting on the scoresheet.

Although such games are relatively commonplace during lulls in the Premier League season, some would argue that those friendlies are designed to maintain fitness levels, rather than to evaluate new signings.

This would typically be a fair assessment, but on the other hand, Palace’s business in the transfer market wasn’t typical - four first-team players were sold in the last ten days of the window, and it took until deadline day to complete deals for the four brought in to replace them.

For the first time in their history, Crystal Palace have become a selling club. This summer, with over €100m in departures and a positive net spend, is proof of that. However, there were teething problems - specifically relating to selling the right players at the right times - that forced the majority of Palace’s acquisitions later and later into the window.

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Deviation in the timing and personnel of sales led to some targets losing priority as different needs arose elsewhere. Palace lost out on the opportunity to sign Robin Gosens from Union Berlin, with his loan to Fiorentina being completed on deadline day. A compulsory purchase clause will likely see him move there permanently at the end of the season, effectively ruling out a transfer any time soon. 

The lack of depth at left wingback is certainly a concern, with Tyrick Mitchell left as the only senior player in that position for the fourth consecutive season. 

Glasner can only play the cards he’s dealt - good or bad - and the friendly against Reading is just one example of how Palace are adapting to the outcome of their summer. Despite a slow start, the international break is an opportunity to build on the positivity of the draw at Chelsea, and catch up with rival sides blessed with a more complete pre-season.

Although Palace may have achieved their general goal of improving the quality of the depth within the squad, it remains to be seen if Glasner’s starting eleven is stronger than the one that ended last season with six wins in seven games. The loss of Michael Olise, for all of its media coverage, can never be overstated.

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Cheick Doucoure’s return from injury has been cautiously managed, but a first Premier League start alongside Adam Wharton may not be too far away. Despite Palace choosing not to sign any natural holding players, it could be their midfield that stands out as the most improved between seasons.

Fitness, rather than quality, will define the fate of the starting midfield duo - Doucoure, Wharton, Lerma and Will Hughes have all been plagued by a combination of knocks and illness since returning from their holidays. 

In defence, it is less an issue of quality or fitness, and more a question of suitability for the system.

Joachim Andersen’s departure brings with it a loss of height, leadership, and his trademark long passes, yet Palace have invested heavily in centre-backs with these exact traits - Lacroix, Chalobah and 21-year-old Chadi Riad are all over 6′2″ tall, not to mention Chris Richards’ domineering frame.

While it may be worth noting that Palace’s winning run last season came with Andersen as captain and Guehi mostly unavailable through injury, Marc Guehi has already captained Palace on 29 occasions, and earned the moniker “Uncle Marc” in the England camp for his maturity. 

There is also the topic of speed - every goal Palace have conceded this season has come from a counterattack. For many of those, a high portion of the blame could be levied on a centre-back for roaming too high up the pitch and being slow to recover after being caught out.

This is where Lacroix, in particular, excels.

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The French defender is renowned for his speed, and has particular experience as a right-sided centre-back under Glasner during their time together at Wolfsburg, albeit in a back four.

Lacroix’s recovery pace could help to loosen the leash with which Daniel Munoz has been playing so far this season, allowing the Colombian international to venture forward more freely. 

It could also offset the loss of Nathaniel Clyne’s support runs in that role on the right-hand side of defence, which have proven pivotal to Glasner’s system so far in South London. It’s no coincidence that Palace’s results against Norwich and Chelsea came with Clyne in the starting eleven, yet the veteran didn’t feature in the defeats to Brentford and West Ham.

It’s clear Glasner wants to move on from relying on the 33-year-old, with Riad preferred to start in Clyne’s place against the Hammers, yet his impact on the team is undeniable. 

This is where the combination of Lacroix’s speed, Chalobah’s midfield experience and all three central defenders’ ball-carrying and passing ability could replicate the attacking impact of Clyne - through the distribution of quality all across the backline, rather than concentrated in the form of a lopsided underlapping RCB. 

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Palace acted smartly with their defensive acquisitions. Glasner’s starting eleven and depth have both, on paper, been strengthened by the signings made in the summer. Yet, on the offensive side of the window, the club’s strategy looks more confused.

The attacking players brought in were strangely unoriginal. There were no “wonderkids” this year, despite the heavy consideration given towards signing 19-year-old Antonio Nusa from Club Brugge. It wasn’t a trademark Crystal Palace window.

Instead, familiarity was the theme of the incomings - Daichi Kamada, Glasner’s protégé at Frankfurt, was brought in on a free; Ismaila Sarr, the subject of years of interest and deadline day bids, signed for £12 million; and Eddie Nketiah, a target since the Patrick Vieira days, finally returned to his hometown of South London.

While these signings do improve the quality throughout Glasner’s squad, none of their profiles lend themselves to being natural starters in his system.

Kamada, when thriving under Glasner at Frankfurt, never played on the right side of the front three. Sarr is a career-long winger brought in under the promise that he would be utilised properly after years of mismanagement, yet Glasner has both described and deployed him as a striker.

Neither are a natural replacement to Olise, and Kamada in particular has struggled to be impactful in the Premier League so far. Sarr, on the other hand, is yet to start, despite offering positivity from the bench. It would be fair to say that when substituting Kamada or Sarr in Olise’s place, Palace’s best front three is a step back from last season.

In the striker position, Nketiah has no clear claim to be a starter in the current system. Mateta has been in immense form since Glasner’s arrival, and despite questions over his fitness, is still Glasner’s preferred choice up top. 

Nketiah is a more pre-emptive buy, with Jean-Philippe Mateta’s potential exit lending itself to a marquee signing of a striker with Premier League experience soon to reach his prime. Contract talks have stalled with the 27-year-old forward, whose Champions League ambitions are no secret.

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With Mateta’s future uncertain and no presumptive heir to Michael Olise ahead of the January window, Palace’s fantastic front three from last season could now only see one remaining member in the starting lineup - Eberechi Eze. 

A change of shape to two strikers could accommodate both Mateta and Nketiah, but would leave Palace with no natural strikers on the bench.

Sarr could still yet establish himself as an important player in the lineup, and with Franca’s return from injury, Palace could soon have a front line capable of tactical fluidity without significant drop-off in quality.

The desire for versatility in Palace’s forwards is indicative of a forward line in transition. Answers to questions over the abilities of Matheus Franca and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi could determine Dougie Freedman’s strategy in future windows.

Despite Palace’s underwhelming start to the Premier League season, the conclusion of transfer sagas and the international break should allow Glasner a chance to coach a healthier and more cohesive squad. The dominant win against Norwich and the snapping of Chelsea’s near-decade long win streak against the Eagles are promising.

The season, much like the squad, is still young and full of promise. A win against Leicester City would see Palace push back up the table, putting early worries to bed and seeing the club’s season finally get the start it deserves.

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