A summer of uncertainty – how are Crystal Palace shaping up for new season?

Crystal Palace’s summer has played out in the boardroom and will continue in the courtroom.

Following their FA Cup triumph in May, the club’s failed effort to stay in the Europa League next season has dominated the organization’s summer, which should have been a time of celebration and optimism.

In the end, Palace will have to decide whether to continue playing in the Europa League or the lesser Europa Conference League in the upcoming appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), which is scheduled to take place behind closed doors on August 8.

A decision is expected on 11 August.

The purchase of former Eagles joint-owner John Textor’s shares has also been a matter of American businessman Woody Johnson.

However, there is a similar level of uncertainty on the pitch.

Two of their best players in Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze have interest from England’s elite clubs, their manager Oliver Glasner is inside the final 12 months of his contract and the club are currently without a full-time sporting director following Dougie Freedman’s departure.

A free-agent goalkeeper and a £3 million left-back are the only two summer signings they have so far.

Glasner made a public statement earlier this week about his concerns with the club’s current transfer business.

There is less pressure on Palace to make a significant decision regarding the former, compared to Eze and Guehi.

In many ways it is out of their hands. The England international has a 68 million release clause, meaning Palace are powerless to decide his future unless a club agrees to pay that fee.

The buy-out, according to what Palace is aware of, expires two weeks before the window is closed, adding an additional layer of security.

Arsenal have a genuine interest in Eze but have so far shown no inclination of triggering the forward’s release fee.

Additionally, reliable sources claim Arsenal would prefer to sell a forward before making any formal moves for Eze.

While Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri have a perception that Eze’s best position is at number 10, an area in which the two play.

Eze can play on the left and Arsenal may view the Palace forward as a multi-functional attacker rather than just a number 10.

Arsenal’s interest is known to Palace.

As things stand, Palace chairman Steve Parish has shown no indication he would be open to negotiating a lower price, though there is a thought at rival clubs his stance may soften later in the window, to avoid the player going into the final year of his deal.

Eze may openly join Arsenal, it is said.

Arsenal will likely be a contender for the Premier League and Champions League next year, given its obvious appeal.

However, that is not to say Eze is desperate to leave Selhurst Park.

The Palace squad includes a significant number of players, including the 27-year-old. He enjoys a lot of peer support from his coworkers.

It sounds cliche, but the camaraderie nurtured at Palace under Glasner is something numerous sources have told BBC Sport players would find difficult to walk away from. Their bond was demonstrated by a recent party that almost everyone in the squad attended.

That would apply to Eze.

Guehi’s future at Palace is less straightforward. Given that they turned down a deal worth around £65 million from Newcastle for Guehi in 2024, the Eagles captain’s contract runs out in less than 12 months, which means he can leave for nothing when he leaves for nothing next summer.

As of right now, Guehi’s commitment to an extension of his contract is unmistakable, despite Palace’s evident desire to discuss a new deal.

Liverpool have a genuine interest in Guehi this summer.

However, the Merseyside club’s level of interest will be determined by the cost. Liverpool will only make a move if they believe the fee means the defender can join them for nothing the summer after being sucked into a long saga over Guehi’s valuation.

Palace are believed to want around £40m for Guehi, but Liverpool want to pay less than that figure.

Since the end of the season, Guehi has attracted varying levels of interest from Tottenham, Newcastle, and Chelsea.

In the final year of his contract, Guehi finds himself in a powerful position: a seasoned professional.

That comes with a delicate balance of trying to maximise the situation he is in, but also acknowledge that certain chances do not come around all too often.

Guehi would likely take seriously into account the possibility to play for the Premier League champions, especially given their exciting summer additions, which might yet include Alexander Isak.

Guehi has another option available to him, which is to extend the duration of his contract with the intention of leaving on a free transfer next summer.

His options would certainly enhance in that scenario. Additionally, the offered financial packages would be more lucrative.

Finding his exit in such a busy time has presented several challenges since Dougie Freedman’s departure earlier this summer.

Given that he was at the forefront of developing the club’s summer strategy, Freedman has been present to oversee some aspects of the transfer window.

Indeed, many of Palace’s transfer targets were recommended by Freedman.

For instance, Freedman identified a player as the club’s first choice central defensive option, Ousmane Diomande from Sporting Lisbon.

The Scots also made recommendations regarding the free transfer of goalkeeper Walter Benitez.

The loss of Freedman, who has taken a multi-sport role at Saudi club Al-Diriyah, will be keenly felt.

He has played a significant role in the club’s best players’ recruitment, frequently snatching them from lower-level clubs.

The players Freedman recruited from relative obscurity include Eze, Guehi, Michael Olise, Adam Wharton, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Chris Richards, and Daniel Munoz.

Wharton – like Eze and Guehi – has attracted top-level interest but the midfielder is likely to stay this summer.

With Liverpool one of the clubs keeping an eye on the situation, it’s unclear whether Palace can keep the England international after the close season.

In addition to Parish, his number two, Iain Moody and his number two, Ben Stevens, have taken greater responsibility in the transfer market.

Stevens, in particular, continues to benefit from Freedman’s expertise.

Palace, however, do not intend to replace Freedman permanently. Should Palace choose to appoint a new full-time sporting director, Matt Hobbs has emerged as an external candidate, according to BBC Sport.

Hobbs left Wolves earlier this summer and has been recommended to Palace, with the club’s new American owners keen to have a direct replacement for Freedman in place.

A senior scouting position will likely be chosen to replace Freedman’s renowned talent identification skills, which the club are believed to be considering.

Manager Glasner has less than a year left on his contract, just like Guehi.

There are ongoing discussions about an extension, but there is no resolution at this time.

Nevertheless, Palace are absolutely clear in their intention to keep Glasner and would like the matter resolved sooner rather than later.

However, the Austrian is justified in waiting until the contract expires before agreeing to a longer contract.

The team would become significantly less effective if Guehi and Eze were to lose.

It will be a tall order to replace both players with players who are of a similar level, particularly for Palace where the recruitment budget isn’t huge.

After the club’s pre-season game against Mainz, Glasner made a pointed comment regarding the club’s transfer business so far this summer.

“We haven’t made the most of the transfer window so far, despite the fact that all the players are still here. I was promised that we would be more active and bring in the new players earlier this year”, he said.

I currently have 17 outfielders. I’m hoping we won’t get worse. If that happens and we get four new ones on deadline day like last year, another false start is possible”.

One player’s recent complaints of a slight muscular soreness will have heightened Glasner’s concerns.