Crystal Palace can expect plenty of changes to their squad this summer, with several incomings and outgoings anticipated. Oliver Glasner is already confirmed to be leaving when his contract expires in June.
Glasner might be followed by several first-team stars who are either on the radar of top European clubs or lacking game time. One of those is Christantus Uche, who has encountered a dissapointing spell at Selhurst Park.
Uche arrived on loan from Getafe last summer, and a buy option was included in the deal for the Nigerian forward. He has struggled to win over Glasner, without a single start in his 13 Premier League appearances.
Decisions to make
The 22-year-old has featured in the Europa Conference League and was on target in a 3-0 win over Shelbourne and a 1-1 draw against Kuopion Palloseura. He was left out of the squad for the play-off victory over Bosnian minnows Zrinjski Mostar.
According to The Standard, Uche is happy at Selhurst Park but wants guarantees over several issues before joining the club permanently. There is interest in the Nigerian from other clubs and he is keeping his options open ahead of the summer transfer window.
| Christantus Uche (Premier League 2025-26) | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Appearances: | 13 |
| Goals: | 0 |
| Assists: | 0 |
| Big chances missed: | 1 |
| Ground duels won: | 0.5 (25%) |
| Aerial duels won: | 0.5 (35%) |
The club’s decision on whether to make his loan move permanent might be made by Glasner’s replacement. A new manager will be in charge come the end of June, and they will likely want to build a squad how they see fit.
The Getafe loanee arrived off the back of an impressive season with the Spanish outfit. He bagged four goals and seven assists in 38 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
Uche one of three possible departures
Palace will enter a new era this summer when a new coach arrives in South London. There’s no word on who that will be, although the likes of former Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank and their club legend Robbie Keane appear to be frontrunners.
Whoever is in the dugout come next season might also be without two of the Eagles’ star men. Jean-Philippe Mateta is expected to leave after missing out on a move to AC Milan last month.
Mateta, linked with Newcastle United, failed a medical with the Serie A giants, and the Italians pulled the plug on a £30m deadline day deal. The French striker has a knee injury but is expected to return to action by the end of this month.
Daichi Kamada has reportedly decided to leave when his contract expires in June. The Japanese midfielder will follow Glasner out of the door for the second time in his career after previously doing so at Eintracht Frankfurt.
