What happened?
Crystal Palace's pre-season has been a mixed bag, with the team thrashing Swindon Town 5-1 but also being thumped 3-0 at Bromley. The Eagles' World Cup stars are set to return, but they will face a tough task under new head coach Pierre Sage.
Why it matters for Crystal Palace
Sage's struggles are a concern, but the club is working on transfers to strengthen the squad. The team is in talks with several players, including Takehiro Tomiyasu, who is trialing at Palace.
What comes next?
Palace will participate in the fifth-place play-off on Friday evening, but the real focus is on the transfer window. The club is looking to sign a new centre-back to replace Maxence Lacroix, who is set to join Chelsea for £52million.
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 15th in Premier League, 45 pts, 11W-12D-15L from 38 games, recent form LDLDL.
Goals this season: 41 scored, 51 conceded (-10 goal difference).
Title race: 40 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Next fixture: vs Bournemouth (away, 2027-02-20) (6th in the table).
Crystal Palace's Pierre Sage is facing a tough start to the season, but the club is working on transfers to strengthen the squad. The team is in talks with several players, including Takehiro Tomiyasu, who is trialing at Palace. The club is looking to sign a new centre-back to replace Maxence Lacroix, who is set to join Chelsea for £52million. Palace will participate in the fifth-place play-off on Friday evening, but the real focus is on the transfer window. The team is also looking to improve their defensive record, which has been a concern in recent pre-season games.
Transfer targets
The club is also in talks with Trabzonspor's 6ft 4in Nigerian centre-half Chibuike Nwaiwu. Raphael Le Guen, a 19-year-old prospect from Brest, has also been assessed and personal terms have been agreed. Toulouse's Charlie Cresswell and Lecce's Tiago Gabriel have also been assessed.
Pierre Sage's system
Sage is trying to instill different principles, such as press triggers, which the players are still acclimatising to. The 3-4-3 system is not too dissimilar from Oliver Glasner's highly-successful 3-4-2-1, but Sage is trying to make it his own.
Brazilian attacker Matheus Franca
Matheus Franca has been one of the few positives in recent weeks, scoring only once in 27 appearances on loan at Vasco da Gama. The Brazilian attacker is set to return to Palace and could be a key player in the team's push for survival.
Financials
The sale of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea for £52million is a significant blow to Palace's finances, but the club has shown sharp recruitment work in the past. The £18m deal for Lacroix from Wolfsburg in 2024 is a testament to the club's ability to find value in the market.
Image prompt
See a photograph of Takehiro Tomiyasu, a 25-year-old Japanese centre-back, in action during a Palace training session. He is wearing the team's blue kit, which consists of a blue shirt with a white collar and sleeves, and blue shorts with a white stripe. The lighting is natural, with a shallow depth of field to emphasize Tomiyasu's facial expression and the action in the background. The camera is positioned at a 45-degree angle to capture the dynamic movement of the players.
