Crystal Palace January transfer window guide: Eagles looking at options in two key positions
No club in England spent more in January 2024 than Crystal Palace, whose outlay was £30.5million.
But for that money they were able to sign Adam Wharton from Blackburn Rovers and Daniel Munoz from Genk. Both immediately became key players.
A year on, the Eagles will enter the winter window conscious that injuries have again hampered their progress in the first half of the season.
Fortunately for Oliver Glasner’s side, the injury problems his side have had to contend with have been spread across a number of positions, so sporting director Dougie Freedman can avoid panic-buys.
Top priority
The position most in need of strengthening is left wing-back.
This is 25-year-old Tyrick Mitchell’s fifth season as the club’s first-choice player in that position. In that time he has shown himself to be a capable full-back and, in 2022, even earned two England caps.
But it does not come out of nowhere that plenty of Palace fans feel he sometimes holds the Eagles back down the left flank, and that he does not have the star-power of Munoz down the right.
The club could look to bring someone in to provide competition in the position. He remains the only left-back at the club and has been for some years.
What else they need
There is no need to strengthen in positions such as goalkeeper nor centre-back, but bolstering the options available to Glasner in attack follows left-back as the second-biggest priority.
Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah are more-than-fine options up front, but Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 system requires two wily attackers.
However well Justin Devenny has done, Eberechi Eze, Ismaila Sarr and the hit-and-miss Daichi Kamada need more competition for places.
Possible ins
The Eagles are proactively looking at options in both the left wing-back and forward/playmaker positions.
One attacker scouted personally by Freedman is the Millwall teenager Romain Esse.
Standard Sport understands Palace are the frontrunners among a number of clubs hoping to sign him in January, and is has been discussed that they could send him back on loan to the Championship side until the end of the season.
Palace are also keen on Manchester City winger James McAtee and have been linked by foreign media with Benfica's German midfielder Jan-Niklas Beste.
The Eagles have considered trying to sign Rayan Cherki of Lyon but are far from the only ones.
Possible outs
Palace are likely to re-call striker Ademola Ola-Adebomi, 21, from his loan with Belgian side SK Beveren and send him out on loan again in January.
It remains to be seen whether academy products Caleb Kporha, Franco Umeh or Asher Agbinone are allowed to leave the club on six-month loan deals. All three have been in and around Glasner’s first-team squad this season.
Selling players permanently in January is not seen as likely.
