What was all the panic about? Crystal Palace may have left significant transfer business until after the window had officially closed but they can be content with their summer’s work.
Losing Daniel Munoz and Maxence Lacroix appeared a tricky inheritance for Pierre Sage, who already had the daunting task of succeeding Oliver Glasner, yet Palace – with recruitment led by Matt Hobbs, Iain Moody and chairman Steve Parish – eventually bolstered their squad after a late rush to Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.
Most importantly, Palace have kept Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr, much to the latter’s dismay. The talismanic pair – who scored 37 goals between them last term – both wanted to leave.
Sarr sulked while his agent kicked up a fuss. That was unsurprising, given one source told Daily Mail Sport over breakfast in June that his agent was keen to move him on. Palace remained resolute, though, refusing to sell the attacker with three years remaining on his contract.
Once the window closed, Sarr’s agent had his say, criticising the club for not executing the ‘will of the player’ – a strange comment given Sarr signed a five-year contract without a release clause just two years ago. The club had no obligation to sell him, particularly as he did not submit a transfer request.
But the question remains: how will he return? If Sarr wants to leave in January or next summer, the best way to make that happen is to apply himself and demonstrate why he deserves an upward move rather than continuing to sulk. After all, Palace have Europa League football and fancy their chances of a deep run in the competition.
Crystal Palace have managed to hang onto Ismaila Sarr (right) and Jean-Philippe Mateta
Pierre Sage has the daunting task of succeeding Oliver Glasner as Palace boss
There are no concerns about Mateta’s response. He will do what he did when his move to AC Milan collapsed in January: knuckle down and let the football do the talking once he has recovered from injury.
Holding on to attackers of their class is a triumph and Palace consolidated by adding depth, too. Dario Osorio, signed from Danish club Midtjylland, has plenty of upside as a winger who drifts inside, making him well suited to Sage’s 3-4-2-1 formation. The 22-year-old offers end product, talented ball delivery and averaged a goal or assist every 180 minutes last term.
Dwight McNeil is a curious addition, given he arrived in a straight swap for Brennan Johnson, whom Palace paid £30million for in January. Decision-makers accepted that they had got the Johnson transfer wrong, something a club with Palace’s financial constraints cannot afford to do.
The swap did at least remove substantial money from the wage bill. But the Johnson overspend in January limited what Palace could do this summer, with the club finishing the window with a positive net spend as they sought to recoup some of the capital lost on their former record signing.
Evann Guessand has returned on loan following his stint at the club during the second half of last season. Before injury, he was a menace starting from the left and provided adequate back-up to Yeremy Pino.
Zavier Gozo was also signed in attack from Real Salt Lake, with the teenager viewed as one for the future. He came on against Manchester City last week and showed some exuberance. That is the type of business Palace should be doing: signing replacements for players years before their departure, providing them with the chance to learn from established players and adapt to the league before they are asked to fill in for them full time.
Last season, Palace ended the summer window with just four No 10s and wingers, with midfielders Daichi Kamada and Justin Devenny often required to fill in. This term, they have eight players to call upon for those spots. There is competition, alternatives and potential.
Replacing Lacroix with Axel Disasi is, admittedly, a downgrade. Lacroix started for France at the World Cup and is now Chelsea’s first-choice centre back. Disasi, meanwhile, is a Chelsea cast-off and nowhere near the France squad.
Decision-makers at Palace accept they had got the Brennan Johnson transfer wrong and he has been moved on to Everton
Axel Disasi has been brought in to beef up the Palace defence and adds experience
Lacroix held the Palace backline together with his recovery pace and immense physicality, qualities Palace will inevitably miss this season. Most importantly, though, he made Jaydee Canvot and Chris Richards better, guiding them through games.
Disasi may not have the same pace but he is experienced and a solid defender, though he can have his blips in possession. His arrival on loan at West Ham in January markedly improved their defence, helping them keep six clean sheets in 14 games.
Centre back remains the most concerning area. Canvot and Honest Ahanor, a deadline-day arrival from Atalanta, are promising but lack know-how. Ahanor is impressively imposing for his age, although it is a shame Palace are developing a player who will join Chelsea next summer – even if they have procured a skilled defender.
Richards is proven at right centre back but if Disasi becomes unavailable, he would have to move into the middle, where he has looked suspect. Oscar Mingueza, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jefferson Lerma, who can all play in multiple positions, are viewed as understudies. Not adding another central centre back could be a costly omission as the backline appears fragile without Disasi.
Number-wise, though, it is an improvement. At one point last season, Palace had only four centre backs for three positions. They may lack a sprinkling of quality at the back but they have brought in enough depth to compete in Europe and domestically.
Losing Munoz to Glasner’s Nottingham Forest was emotionally tough for Palace, given the rivalry between the clubs and his role in winning three trophies in two years. But, from a business perspective, it was the right move.
Munoz, now 30, has reached his peak transfer value, leaving for £22m, and the data suggests he will start to decline. In two years, Palace have made a £16m profit and replaced him with Anan Khalaili, whom they believe is a younger version with a higher ceiling. On his debut against Manchester City, the similarities were striking, with the Israeli wing-back relentless from start to finish. Those two transfers were net zero, too.
Quinten Timber, an athletic ball-winner, adds a desperately required profile to Palace’s midfield options, replacing bit-part player Devenny, who moved to Stoke City on a permanent deal.
Losing Daniel Munoz to Nottingham Forest was emotionally tough for Palace. But, from a business perspective, it was the right move
Quinten Timber, an athletic ball-winner, adds a desperately required profile to Palace’s midfield
Adam Wharton and Kamada is a strong pairing but against superior opposition, the two-man midfield has lacked athleticism and bite at times. Timber gives Sage a plan B.
Some sources have suggested Timber’s physical profile should suit the Premier League, given his brother Jurrien’s success at Arsenal. His arrival also helps solve the problem of losing Kamada to the Asia Cup in the new year.
Ben Chilwell – if he can stay fit – is an upgrade on Borna Sosa, who failed to make an impact last season. Chilwell, signed for free from Strasbourg, was at the club on loan from Chelsea when Palace won the FA Cup. He is a leader, homegrown and offensively talented.
His injury record is alarming but he did manage 34 games at Strasbourg last season. Sosa, who has joined Cologne on loan, played a third of the minutes Chilwell did last season because he was not at the level required.
What Palace have successfully done this window is build a complete squad, with multiple options in every position. That was the bugbear last season.
They have a 28-man group, six of whom will need to be cut from the European squad, giving Sage the ability to rotate with at least two players for every position.
Of course, the window could have been improved if moves for Joel Ordonez and Malick Fofana had gone through. But Ordonez’s medical showed his broken metatarsal injury was more serious than initially expected, meaning he would not have been an option until later in the season.
It could be a deal Palace revisit in January. The highly-rated centre back should be available by then and has long been admired by the club.
Ben Chilwell (left) signed for free from Strasbourg and was at Palace on loan from Chelsea when they won the FA Cup
Fofana’s move from Lyon was ultimately hijacked by Sunderland after Palace thought they had beaten the North East club to his signature. Palace sources were frustrated on Tuesday afternoon, as Sunderland offered the player’s family money they could not match. Sage desperately wanted to sign him after working together at Lyon.
There has been significant player turnover at Palace and it will take time for the squad to gel – 11 players have arrived with six first-teamers making way.
On the whole, they are in a stronger position than last year, with a proficient starting XI and solid back-up in every position. That gives them plenty of reason to be optimistic. The proof will be on the pitch but the signs are promising.
