Just a few years ago, no Crystal Palace fan would have thought that their club, the reigning FA Cup winners, would also reach the European semi-finals.
But this is the reality for Oliver Glasner’s team in 2025/26, and the Eagles have another chance to finish the season with a trophy at the end of May.
Club record addition Jorgen Strand Larsen will no doubt play a big role in the coming weeks after joining the club from Wolves for an estimated £45m during the January period.
The Norwegian scored three goals in his first seven games at Selhurst Park, but has now gone without a goal.
There is no denying that the 26-year-old has plenty of time to revive his career in south London, and the potential arrival of one player this summer will boost the talisman’s chances of success.
Crystal Palace’s richest contract in history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
player | commission | signatory | year |
Jorgen Strand Larsen | £45m | wolf | 2026 |
brennan johnson | £35 million | tottenham | 2026 |
Christian Benteke | £30 million | liverpool | 2016 |
Jeremy Pino | £25m | Villarreal | 2025 |
Eddie Nketiah | £24 million | arsenal | 2024 |
your mama do | £22 million | liverpool | 2017 |
mark gehi | £20 million | chelsea | 2021 |
Crystal Palace in talks to sign £40m star this summer
Over the past few weeks, Palace have been linked with a number of talented players as they look to move up the Premier League table during the 2026-27 season.
The division often joins the Championship in search of promising talent and could do so again this window following the move of Millwall star Femi Azeez.
The 24-year-old has scored and assisted 16 times in England’s second tier this season and has been linked with a move to Selhurst Park in the summer.
However, the English player is not the only player who could join from the second tier this summer, with newly relegated Wolves star Joao Gomez also providing another option for the Eagles.
According to the BBC, Palace have already contacted the player’s agent to discuss a potential deal for him to join the club when the window opens.
According to the newspaper, the Brazilian midfielder is considering leaving Molineux after they suffered relegation, and the player himself wants to remain in the Premier League.
Atletico Madrid are also said to be keen on signing the 25-year-old this summer, although they would need a transfer fee of £40m.
Why Gomez could become Palace’s next Eberechi Eze
Championship star gold medals are no stranger to Palace in recent years, as seen in the £15m deal to sign Eberechi Eze from QPR in the summer of 2020.
The English player was an unknown to many supporters, but quickly won their hearts with his impressive performances at Selhurst Park.
He played in 169 games for the Eagles, totaling 40 goals and 29 assists, often being the star man and playing in the final third when his team needed him most.
Crystal Palace’s all-time top scorer in the PL | |
|---|---|
player | the goal |
Wilfried Zaha | 68 |
Jean-Philippe Mateta | 48 |
Christian Benteke | 35 |
god bless you | 34 |
Luka Milivojevic | 28 |
chris armstrong | twenty three |
Jordan Ayew | twenty two |
andy johnson | twenty one |
This was evident in last season’s FA Cup Final, when he entered the penalty area and fired home the only goal, clinching the club’s first ever major trophy.
However, this will be one of his final contributions to the club, having moved to his boyhood club Arsenal in a £60m deal during last summer’s transfer window.
Losing Eze was a painful blow to the club and fanbase, but there is an opportunity to emulate such a move with the signing of Gomez once the window opens.
The Brazilian has already featured in England’s top flight, but the attacking midfielder has what it takes to take the Eagles to the next level, as he did during his five-year spell with the club.
He may have suffered relegation in Rob Edwards’ side this term, but his fundamental numbers for the 2025/26 season are testament to his quality.
Gomez has completed 86% of the passes he has attempted this season and found teammates on 31% of his crosses into the opposition area.
The aforementioned numbers highlight his talent with the ball at his feet, allowing the Brazilian to feed the likes of Strand Larsen in south London.
His quality in possession is further evidenced by his 66% dribble success rate, which puts him in the top 10% of midfielders in the Premier League.
But without the ball is where the 25-year-old has improved in 2025/26, with the Wolves star leading the way in 7.2 of his ground appearances so far.
Such figures were higher than 92% of players in England’s top flight this season and highlighted his ability to win the ball back for the team.
He has also won 3.4 tackles and recovered the ball 6.4 times per 90 this term, only reaffirming his sensational ability to disrupt opposition progress.
Although he has a different role to Eze, the similarities in this move are clear for all to see, putting them in the tier to land their next big-money star this summer.
One of the biggest transfers in Eagles history would cost £40m, but it would undoubtedly allow the team to compete for a European spot in the 2026/27 season.
Crystal Palace begin negotiations to sign major upgrade for Liam Rosenior
Crystal Palace are facing judgment day as they look to replace the departing Oliver Glasner.
