A Summer Of Uncertainty - How Are Crystal Palace Shaping Up For New Season?

Crystal Palace's summertime has played retired successful nan boardroom and will proceed successful nan courtroom.

The club's grounded conflict to support their spot successful nan Europa League adjacent play has dominated nan club's summer, successful what should person been a play of ceremony and optimism pursuing their FA Cup triumph successful May.

The forthcoming entreaty pinch nan Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), scheduled to return spot down closed doors connected 8 August, will yet find whether Palace support what they judge to beryllium their rightful spot successful nan Europa League aliases will play successful nan lesser Europa Conference League.

A determination is expected connected 11 August.

There has besides been nan matter of American businessman Woody Johnson's buy-out of erstwhile Eagles joint-owner John Textor's shares.

On nan pitch, however, location is akin uncertainty.

Two of their champion players successful Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze person liking from England's elite clubs, their head Oliver Glasner is wrong nan last 12 months of his statement and nan nine are presently without a full-time sporting head pursuing Dougie Freedman's departure.

So acold their 2 summertime signings are a goalkeeper - signed for free - and a £3m left-back.

Earlier this week, Glasner went nationalist pinch his concerns regarding nan club's transportation business truthful far.

Here, BBC Sport examines really Palace's summertime is shaping up arsenic they look to build connected past May's euphoric FA Cup triumph.

Out of Eze and Guehi, location is little unit connected Palace to make a large determination connected nan former.

In galore ways it is retired of their hands. The England world has a £68m merchandise clause - if a nine agrees to meet that interest past Palace are powerless successful deciding his future.

It is understood nan buy-out expires 2 weeks earlier nan model closes, which offers Palace an added furniture of protection.

Arsenal person a genuine liking successful Eze but person truthful acold shown nary inclination of triggering nan forward's merchandise fee.

Well-placed sources are besides indicating that Arsenal would for illustration to waste a guardant earlier making immoderate general move for Eze.

While location is besides a emotion astatine Arsenal that Eze's champion position is astatine number 10 - an area that Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri run in.

Eze tin play connected nan near and Arsenal whitethorn position nan Palace guardant arsenic a multi-functional attacker alternatively than conscionable a number 10.

Palace are alert of Arsenal's interest.

The Gunners are understood to worth Eze little than nan clause and want to discuss a woody beneath nan agreement.

As things stand, Palace president Steve Parish has shown nary denotation he would beryllium unfastened to negotiating a little price; though location is simply a thought astatine rival clubs his stance whitethorn soften later successful nan window, to debar nan subordinate going into nan last twelvemonth of his deal.

It is understood Eze is very unfastened to joining Arsenal.

The attraction is clear, pinch Arsenal a contender for some nan Premier League and Champions League adjacent season.

However, that is not to opportunity Eze is hopeless to time off Selhurst Park.

The 27-year-old is simply a cardinal personnel of nan Palace squad. He is immensely celebrated among his colleagues.

It sounds cliche, but nan camaraderie nurtured astatine Palace nether Glasner is thing galore sources person told BBC Sport players would find difficult to locomotion distant from. A caller statement attended by almost each of nan squad was schematic of their bond.

That would beryllium existent for Eze.

But Arsenal do not travel knocking often. When they do, peculiarly for Eze - who was turned down by nan Gunners arsenic a youngster - specified an connection would beryllium difficult to resist.

Well-placed sources are besides indicating Arsenal would for illustration to waste a guardant earlier making immoderate general move for Eze.

There is besides a emotion astatine Arsenal that Eze's champion position is astatine number 10 - an area that Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri run in.

Eze tin play connected nan near and Arsenal whitethorn position nan Palace guardant arsenic a multi-functional attacker alternatively than conscionable a number 10.

Guehi's early astatine Palace is little straightforward. The Eagles skipper has less than 12 months connected his contract, meaning he tin time off for thing adjacent summertime - a imaginable that would correspond a immense financial nonaccomplishment to nan nine fixed they turned down a woody of astir £65m from Newcastle for Guehi successful 2024.

As things stand, location are nary signs Guehi is prepared to widen his contract, though Palace are evidently keen to talk a caller deal.

Liverpool person a genuine liking successful Guehi this summer.

But nan level of nan Merseyside club's liking will beryllium dictated by cost. Liverpool don't want to get drawn into a agelong saga complete Guehi's valuation and will only move if they judge nan interest represents that nan defender tin subordinate them for thing adjacent summer.

Palace are believed to want astir £40m for Guehi, but Liverpool want to salary little than that figure.

Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea person each registered varying degrees of liking successful Guehi since nan extremity of nan season.

Guehi finds himself successful a unsocial position of power: a homegrown subordinate successful nan last twelvemonth of his deal.

That comes pinch a delicate equilibrium of trying to maximise nan business he is in, but besides admit that definite chances do not travel astir each excessively often.

Indeed, nan opportunity to subordinate nan Premier League champions, peculiarly fixed their breathtaking summertime additions that could yet see Alexander Isak, is 1 Guehi would apt springiness superior information to.

Equally, different action unfastened to Guehi is to spot retired nan last play of his woody pinch a position to leaving connected a free transportation adjacent summer.

His options would surely heighten successful that scenario. The financial packages connected connection would besides beryllium much lucrative.

There are risks attached to that, of course, wounded being nan main one.

Dougie Freedman's departure earlier this summertime arrived arsenic a rustle and navigating his exit during specified a engaged play has presented various obstacles.

Freedman has been connected manus to oversee parts of nan transportation window, fixed he was astatine nan forefront of formulating nan club's summertime plan.

Indeed, galore of Palace's transportation targets were recommended by Freedman.

For instance, nan club's first prime cardinal protect action - Sporting Lisbon's Ousmane Dembele - is simply a subordinate identified by Freedman.

The free transportation seizure of goalkeeper Walter Benitez is besides 1 of nan Scot's recommendations.

The nonaccomplishment of Freedman, who has taken a multi-sport domiciled astatine Saudi nine Al-Diriyah, will beryllium keenly felt.

He has been influential successful nan recruitment of nan club's champion players, often plucking them from lower-level clubs.

Eze, Guehi, Michael Olise, Adam Wharton, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Chris Richards and Daniel Munoz are among nan players recruited by Freedman from comparative obscurity.

Wharton - for illustration Eze and Guehi - has attracted top-level liking but nan midfielder is apt to enactment this summer.

Whether Palace tin support nan England world beyond nan pursuing adjacent play remains to beryllium seen, pinch Liverpool among nan clubs watching closely.

In Freedman's absence, his number 2 Ben Stevens and recruitment advisor Iain Moody have, alongside Parish, taken greater work successful nan transportation market.

Stevens, successful particular, continues to use from Freedman's expertise.

Palace, however, are not ruling retired replacing Freedman connected a semipermanent basis. BBC Sport has learned Matt Hobbs has emerged arsenic an outer campaigner should Palace determine to name a caller full-time sporting director.

Hobbs near Wolves earlier this summertime and has been recommended to Palace, pinch nan club's caller American owners keen to person a nonstop replacement for Freedman successful place.

Another way nan nine are understood to beryllium considering is appointing personification successful a elder scouting domiciled to switch Freedman's renowned talent recognition abilities.

In that scenario, Stevens and Moody would spot their remits widen.

Like Guehi, head Glasner besides has nether a twelvemonth near connected his contract.

Talks complete an hold are underway but arsenic yet location has been nary resolution.

Nevertheless, Palace are perfectly clear successful their volition to support Glasner and would for illustration nan matter resolved sooner alternatively than later.

There is logic, however, successful nan Austrian waiting until nan extremity of nan model earlier committing to a longer contract.

Losing Guehi and Eze would time off nan squad importantly weakened.

It will beryllium a gangly bid to switch some players pinch players who are of a akin level, peculiarly for Palace wherever nan recruitment fund isn't huge.

Glasner was pointed erstwhile asked astir nan club's transportation business truthful acold this summertime aft nan pre-season crippled against Mainz.

"Even though each nan players are still here, we haven't made nan astir of nan transportation model truthful far. I was promised that we would beryllium much progressive and bring successful nan caller players earlier this year," he said.

"As of now, I person 17 outfield players. I dream we don't suffer immoderate more. If that happens and we get 4 caller ones connected deadline time for illustration past year, different mendacious commencement is possible."

The truth 1 subordinate has already complained of flimsy muscular soreness successful caller days will person accentuated Glasner's concerns.

There are a number of questions that still request answering. Glasner is eagerly awaiting nan outcome.