There are plenty of Premier League clubs who could stand to learn a thing or two from Crystal Palace.
During Monday night’s thrilling 4-0 hammering of Manchester United, it was a performance built upon the foundations of a superb recruitment strategy. One that acts as proof of the often underrated value that can be found in the Football League.
Michael Olise, scorer of Crystal Palace’s first and fourth goals at Selhurst Park, joined for a bargain £8 million from Reading. Ebere Eze, now one of the Premier League’s premiere playmakers, arrived in South London from Queens Park Rangers.
Adam Wharton, so influential since his January arrival that that clamour for a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad is growing by the game, was exceptional again as Erik ten Hag’s beleaguered side were put to the sword.
Crystal Palace tipped to raid Blackburn Rovers agin
Those who watched Wharton go from strength-to-strength at Blackburn Rovers, however, will not be quite so surprised as those without an EFL ear to the ground. Wharton was labelled a player of a ‘Champions League level’ while still at Ewood Park, and Ally McCoist cannot help but wonder if Palace could – or maybe should – return to a familiar hunting ground for the Championship’s top scorer.
“(He is) remarkable. Absolutely remarkable,” McCoist, the Rangers legend, tells talkSPORT of the second-tier’s Golden Boot winner Sammie Szmodics (7 May, 9.50am).
“He just about single-handedly kept Blackburn in that division. And Blackburn fans won’t thank me for saying it but surely a team like Palace, surely that would not be beyond the realms of possibility for a guy like Szmodics to go there.”
Where would Rovers be without him? Well, League One probably. Szmodics took his tally to a remarkable 33 goals with a final day brace at champions Leicester City, ensuring that Blackburn will be a second-tier team again in 2023/24.
At 28, Szmodics is a lot older than the typical Crystal Palace EFL import. The Sun, meanwhile, report that Blackburn will demand a sizeable £20 million.
McCoist, however, is convinced that with Oliver Glasner at the helm, a good summer could tee up The Eagles for a run at the top ten.
Future looks bright under Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park
“You look at the coach. He’s getting a tine out of the players who are fabulous to watch and he’s getting the results. Liverpool, West Ham, last night was absolutely fabulous,” McCoist adds, Palace winning four of their last five and scoring 13 goals in the process.
“It’s one of these situations where the majority of the teams in the league can’t wait for the season to end. But Palace fans will be one of the teams who could do with another four or five weeks because they are enjoying their football!
“The key to it, is can he keep his squad together? And can he add one or two to it? Can they break into the top ten? On current form, you’d have to say yet.”
HITC have been told that, if Olise does leave with a release clause in his contract, then Palace could turn to the EFL again. There is interest in Sunderland’s Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene of Hull City.