The fear for Crystal Palace is that just when they need to be expanding their squad to cope with the new and thrilling demands of a maiden voyage into Europe, their first-team group is at risk of shrinking further.
More than that, it's at risk of losing two of its best players, with Eberechi Eze now expected to complete his move to Tottenham in the coming days and Marc Guehi now in the last year of his contract and the club perhaps minded to cash in and sell him too, while they still can.
An exit for Eze could prove perilous for Palace. An exit for both could be enough to derail their season just as it begins. It is hard to see how they could have played so well and so deservedly held Chelsea to a goalless draw away from home on Sunday if Guehi and Eze had not been involved.
There can be life after Eze, life after Guehi. Palace’s most valuable asset is their manager.
Oliver Glasner has spent 546 days in the job as the Eagles’ head coach, and in that time there have been tough moments, testing periods. In autumn last year, there was even talk of his sacking from some quarters; Palace were the very last team in the league to win a match. It was October 27 before they did.
He overcame the obstacles to come out the other side, though, and finds himself now leading Palace through smoother tracks.
Palace’s last ten competitive games have included games against Arsenal away from home, Liverpool away, Chelsea away, Tottenham away, an FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa, the FA Cup final against Manchester City, and the Community Shield against Liverpool. Zero defeats, two trophies.
The holders of the FA Cup and the Community Shield owe much to their quirky Austrian manager, who seemed intense but reserved when he first addressed the media upon arriving at Selhurst Park. Since then, not only has he improved Palace greatly, he has also shown increasingly more of his own personality. His sense of humour, frankness, laser-like competitive edge and record of growing Palace’s trophy cabinet have some supporters suggesting he may already be the greatest manager in the club’s history.
With limited transfer spending and having lost the mercurial talent of Michael Olise along the way, Glasner has made Palace far more than the sum of their parts. He boasts the highest points-per-game record of any Palace boss in the Premier League era.
There can be life after Eze, and life after Guehi. Palace’s most valuable asset is their manager.
After Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, one reporter opined that Palace have become the team outside the elite that title contenders and Champions League hopefuls least want to be playing next. It is hard to disagree with that assessment. And for gaining Palace that status, credit must chiefly land at Glasner’s office door.
Concern over a lack of spending this summer is understandable, and is shared not only by fans but by Glasner himself. Across the three transfer windows in which he has called Selhurst Park home, the 50-year-old has never been afraid to publicly urge the board to invest more in the squad.
Especially now, that feels pertinent, however it all pans out with Eze and Guehi. If the likeable squad that has given Palace their greatest period is allowed to disperse without a reasonable attempt to replace sold stars, it is hard to see how Glasner’s contract talks can have a happy ending.
The head coach is Crystal Palace’s most valuable asset. His side’s organisation at Chelsea showed that. But while Eze and Guehi are crucial players for this upward-facing club, the longer-term future of the club depends more on keeping Glasner happy — and keeping hold of him.
