Crystal Palace had an excellent end to their 2023/24 campaign, finishing tenth in the Premier League, with Oliver Glasner taking over on February 19th, and leading the Eagles on a late charge for the top half, winning six of their final seven Premier League games of the campaign.
On the contrary, this season, Palace are winless in their opening seven games, leaving them on just three points in 18th place. The Eagles have only managed to score five goals in seven games, the second fewest in the division whilst conceding ten times.
Their struggles to create and score chances could have a direct link to the loss of Michael Olise, who left to join Bayern Munich for £50.8m this summer, after making 19 appearances last season, scoring ten goals and providing six assists in 1,278 minutes played for the club.
Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise at Palace
With 16 goals and assists coming from Olise last season, Eberechi Eze also provided a fair wedge, making 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in 2,285 minutes. The England international joined Palace back in 2020 for a fee of around £16m from QPR and has gone from strength to strength since.
Indeed, the 26-year-old is now valued at a whopping £50m by Transfermarkt, similar to the fee Olise was sold for. Both were seen as jewels in the crown for that Palace side and losing one of them has had direct repercussions on their chance creation this season so far.
You can see the sort of numbers Palace have lost between last season and this season, with significant progressive numbers, shot volume, creative passes (key passes and xAG), and shot-creating actions.
Goals
0.43
0.70
Assists
0.24
0.42
xG
0.40
0.39
xAG
0.23
0.41
Progressive Carries
2.98
4.79
Progressive Passes
4.08
5.49
Shots Total
3.56
3.94
Key Passes
2.37
2.54
Shot-Creating Actions
4.82
5.77
Successful Take-Ons
3.03
2.82
Whilst Eze still provides high levels of these metrics, the numbers Olise offered alongside him have clearly been missed. Just look at how many metrics the Frenchman was better in.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
It’s just as well they were able to keep not just Eze, but another star player at Selhurst Park. Glasner’s men might well be even worse off without them.
Marc Guehi's rise
One of the biggest positives for Palace this summer was holding onto star defender, Marc Guehi, who was linked with a move away during and after the European Championships in Germany.
Newcastle were the main club that made advances, with Palace turning down multiple bids from the North East club, the most notable being a £65m plus £5m offer.
Guehi was signed from Chelsea by the Eagles back in 2021 for a fee that could reach £20m. He was Patrick Vieira’s third Palace signing and went on to be quite a success at the club. The 24-year-old has made 120 appearances for Palace, scoring six goals and providing two assists in his 10,427 minutes played.
The England international has gone on to captain the side in the absence of club captain, Joel Ward, becoming an ever-present and crucial piece of the Palace puzzle.
Clearly now valued at beyond even £65m, £15m more than Olise was allowed to leave for, and the supposed fee it would take to get Eze out of the club, they have clearly struck gold with this move. It’s certainly one of Steve Parish’s best pieces of investment.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?