Managers have often stated that this one of the most important stages of the year. Getting the right type of player into the club, those that fit the style, fit the budget, balance the books and strengthen the correct areas of the team to improve on whatever was last seasons record.
Crystal Palace’s case is quite an interesting one. With a new stand estimated at £100m going through the final approvals, Financial Fair Play and recruiting new players, how does this affect them?
Firstly it depends on what areas they’re looking to strengthen. With Wilfried Zaha likely to leave the club, this would appear to be the main area which will require strengthening.
Any club losing a man of this quality would struggle to replace them. The problem is, he can’t be replaced. Can Palace get someone in to excite the fans and try to fill a massive void fairly adequately? This depends on how much they get for Zaha.
According to the French outlet, Nice-Matin, Palace are one of three English clubs to battle for Allan Saint-Maximin. A price has been circulating of £22.5m for the young athlete who is incredibly quick.
The player does have areas to work on, finishing appears to be one aspect and providing more assists is the other. But at the age of 22, making 34 appearances and playing at youth international level, can only bode well. As well as pace, he has plenty of tricks and has no fear of taking defenders on and constantly going at them with speed.
Another area you tend to think Palace would strengthen is the goalkeeping department. Guaita seems to be the number one choice and played very well towards the end of the season. Wayne Hennessey is extremely inconsistent. After some good performances, the inconsistency reappears whether it be via dropped crosses or slow footwork.
A name to mention is Jack Butland, who has been reported to be mulling between the Eagles and Bournemouth. At the age of 26, this would appear to make sense, he would be a good long term option with experience at international level and classed as a safe pair of hands. Maybe this is what Palace need. No fee has been quoted regarding this potential move.
The left-back area has been up for discussion recently. As much as Patrick van Aanholt is good as anyway going forward, he does show defensive naivety on quite a few occasions. The combination with Zaha going forward can be very impressive, but away from home, he is exposed to a lot more defensively. With Papa Soaure leaving the club and Schlupp playing a much-improved role in central midfield, there has been speculation for a full back to provide competition in this area.
This then brings us to James Justin. According to reports, Palace are one of three clubs interested in the left back, where bids have been speculated around the £7.5m mark. Whether he would be a replacement or not, this area is very light in numbers, although this is a fairly hefty fee for someone who hasn’t played top-flight football.
I suppose Palace would need to weigh up what money they would get for Zaha if he does go. If it is the large amount as quoted, then this may have other benefits in strengthing the team and they can then plan accordingly. You also have to figure the outgoings to balance the books as well as the FFP rules.
The FFP rules can be quite in depth, but the simple method is, don’t spend more than you make. Owners can subsidize with proof of their financing through sponsorship deals as an example or actually use their own personal wealth.
The latter option doesn’t appear the option Palace take, despite billionaire owners within the consortium. They do seem to cut their cloth accordingly after years of heavy spending around the Pardew, Allardyce era.
The last few years do appear to be a much tighter budget that Roy Hodgson has had to work with. However, the FFP does get reviewed on three-year cycles, where the process gets reset. It is hard to confirm if Palace do fall within this bracket, but if this is the case, would this free up more budget? The first team and squad in general definitely need bulking up as well as implementing some fresh young players.
The new main stand implications? You tend to think building a £100m stand will affect the budgeting along the line somewhere? Although, Steve Parish has said in the past that the transfer budget is ‘ringed-fence’ which won’t be affected.
Clubs in previous years have had funding from local councils for new stadiums, but you tend to think with Palace’s high transfer spending a few years ago, coupled with FFP and a new stand on the way, the purse strings are tightened.
Admittedly, they’re not a Manchester City with a bottomless pit of money and they do need to balance the books, but this summer could be a lot of strategic planning. A lot hinders on whether Zaha goes, the money they could potentially receive from the sale, fierce competition with other clubs, what wages will come off the books, playing the loan market, rumours of new outside investment…the list is endless.
Football really is a big business now worldwide, commercially and for the fans of course. There are so many important factors to make sure that the club sustains its status, plies its trade within budget and of course, progresses every year. ‘Balancing act’ seems the correct phrase.
