Crystal Palace squad audit: Who stays and who goes this summer?

This is shaping up to be a seismic summer at Crystal Palace, with a clutch of players out of contract and uncertainty over the identity of next season’s manager.

Big decisions will have to be made, but where do things stand with the club’s first-team squad and who from that group is likely to stay and go?

---

Goalkeepers

Vicente Guaita

Contract expires: 2024, plus a one-year option

Palace’s 2020-21 player of the year continues to hold down the No 1 spot. Guaita may be 36 now and coming towards the end of his career, but he has played an important role again this season.

There is value in keeping him, as evidenced by the club extending his contract by a further year in January, and he is more or less the perfect fit for Palace at this time – a goalkeeper who performs every facet of the game reasonably well, according to the data.

But there have been more injuries this season, which suggests having an excellent competitor for his spot on the books is important.

Verdict: Starter

Sam Johnstone

Contract expires: 2026

The 30-year-old signed last summer and was forced to wait almost a year for his first Premier League appearance in Palace colours due to a series of unfortunate injuries and Guaita’s fine form.

Had a chance not come when a calf problem ruled Guaita out of last month’s trip to Leeds United, Johnstone may have had a decision to make on his future, but he performed well in that thumping win at Elland Road and has started all seven games since, keeping three clean sheets.

There have been a couple of mistakes, but with Guaita’s fitness record unlikely to improve at his age, there ought to be an opportunity to show the form that led to Johnstone earning three England caps while at previous club West Bromwich Albion. That should be sufficient for him to want to stay and push the Spaniard for the No 1 spot.

Verdict: Fighting for a first-team place

Jack Butland

Contract expires: 2023, plus one-year club option

The season began in disastrous fashion for the 30-year-old former England international when he broke a finger during the summer tour of Australia and Singapore.

That, along with Guaita’s good form and Johnstone’s arrival, pushed him down to third choice. He has been out on loan since early January at Manchester United, for whom he has yet to make a single appearance, and is expected to depart from Palace next month when his contract expires.

Verdict: Leave

Joe Whitworth

Contract expires: 2027

The 19-year-old made his Premier League debut against Brighton & Hove Albion in March, in what turned out to be Patrick Vieira’s final game as manager, becoming the youngest goalkeeper in the division since Ben Alnwick for Sunderland in December 2005. He also played in the defeat at Arsenal a few days later and the way he coped with being pitched in against such high-calibre opponents should help him in any pursuit of a temporary new club next season.

Verdict: Loan move

Remi Matthews

Contract expires: 2024

Matthews has spent the season on loan in Scotland with Premiership side St Johnstone, where he has made 35 appearances in all competitions.

The 29-year-old, who is yet to play for Palace’s first team since joining on a free transfer from then-third-division Sunderland in 2021, signed a contract extension before that loan was confirmed. Keeping him as next season’s third-choice would allow Whitworth and fellow 19-year-old Owen Goodman to gain senior experience out on loan.

Verdict: Squad player

---

Right-backs

Joel Ward

Contract expires: 2023

Ward has returned to the starting XI since Roy Hodgson was reappointed after Vieira’s sacking and the value of his experience over 11 seasons is enough for Palace to have offered him fresh terms. He is expected to continue into a 12th year at the club.

At 33, Ward is entering the twilight of his career, but he still has a part to play. In an ideal world, Palace would upgrade the position with someone younger and more threatening in attack, but with Manchester United’s Selhurst Park old boy Aaron Wan-Bissaka seemingly out of reach, they appear to have settled for another year with Ward.

Verdict: Starter

Nathaniel Clyne

Contract expires: 2023

Clyne has shared the right-back role with Ward this season and the former England international also remains capable enough at this level. Again, the situation is not ideal, but he and Ward offer valuable experience this team would otherwise be lacking.

If they can get by for another season with these two sharing the duties, an upgrade will certainly be required in summer 2024.

Verdict: Backup

Nathan Ferguson

Contract expires: 2023

Beset by injuries, he has still played just eight minutes of senior football since joining Palace from West Brom in the summer of 2020 – all as a substitute in the Boxing Day 2021 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur. A new contract is not completely out of the question, but it would need to be on reduced terms to be at all justified given Ferguson turns 23 in October and has been sidelined so often.

Verdict: Loan move/squad player

---

Centre-backs

James Tomkins

Contract expires: 2023

Palace are expected to offer Tomkins a new contract – surprising, given he has only made six Premier League appearances this season after eight in 2021-22. He is experienced, with approaching 400 senior games in his career, and that works in his favour, but performances this season have been largely disappointing. In the dismal Boxing Day defeat by Fulham, for example, he was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

The 33-year-old is not particularly comfortable with the ball at his feet or when asked to play out from the back, despite admirable efforts to adapt to a style that has changed since he arrived from West Ham in the summer of 2016.

Verdict: Squad player

Marc Guehi

Contract expires: 2026

The 22-year-old has enjoyed another excellent season at the heart of the defence and established a strong partnership with Joachim Andersen. His performances have attracted attention from rival clubs, particularly from Tottenham, with his comfort in carrying the ball out from the back helping Palace transition from defence to attack quickly.

Keeping Guehi for at least another year would help the club to progress, but if sizeable bids come in for him, it may be difficult to resist the temptation to sell and reinvest the money received in the squad. Any offers would have to be over £50million to stand a chance of success, however.

Verdict: Starter

Joachim Andersen

Contract expires: 2026

Andersen’s partnership with Guehi has been crucial over the past two seasons. They were a major part of the reason Palace conceded their fewest-ever number of goals in a Premier League season in 2021-22 and a clean sheet at home against Nottingham Forest on the final day this weekend would see them equal their second-lowest total of goals against (48) in the competition.

The 26-year-old Denmark international’s long diagonal switches have become a staple of Palace’s play, helping to transition and relieve defensive pressure while assisting incisive moves upfield and rapid counter-attacks.

Andersen is just as integral to the team as Guehi, although he seems less in demand from bigger clubs.

Verdict: Starter

Chris Richards

Contract expires: 2027

Forced to be patient for a Palace debut due to the unbreakable Guehi-Andersen partnership and his own injuries, Richards has impressed in his limited showings. Versatile enough to operate at centre-back or right-back and young enough (23) to fit Palace’s model, the USA international signed from Bayern Munich last summer may well feature more prominently next season.

Verdict: Fighting for a first-team place

---

Left-backs

Tyrick Mitchell

Contract expires: 2027

After the high of an outstanding 2021-22 season under Vieira, this campaign has been a disappointment for Mitchell. He has struggled to find his best form, flitting in and out of good spells and making more errors than he did a year ago.

Expectations will always be higher after a good season and that has certainly played a part in the perception from some quarters that he should now be replaced, but the reality is that this was simply a mediocre year for the 23-year-old, with a few really disappointing periods matched by some excellent ones.

He will look to improve next year and remains integral to the team, with over 100 Palace appearances to his name since a debut late in 2019-20, but arguably needs competition.

Verdict: Starter

---

Midfielders

Luka Milivojevic

Contract expires: 2023

A season in which he has accumulated only 504 minutes of Premier League game time, with varying degrees of success, and completed a full 90 minutes just two once among his 18 appearances, will see Milivojevic out of contract at the end of it.

After six and a half years at Palace, and amid Cheick Doucoure’s outstanding debut season so far and the cover offered by Will Hughes, the 32-year-old’s time is likely up this summer, especially given he is one of the squad’s bigger earners. But Milivojevic will go having made a major contribution over the earlier years of his career at Selhurst Park, with a natural dip in performances as their style of play has evolved in more recent times.

Verdict: Leave

Will Hughes

Contract expires: 2024

When Palace were struggling in midfield under Vieira, many questioned why Hughes was not getting time on the pitch or a regular starting berth. But while he has shown glimpses of the player who was signed in summer 2021 as a long-term replacement for James McArthur, especially with his tenacity and strong tackling, he has not made a compelling case to be a regular starter next season.

Hughes does remain a very useful squad member who, at his best, could compete for a starting spot alongside Doucoure.

Verdict: Squad player

James McArthur

Contract expires: 2023

Once a core player for Palace on and off the pitch, injuries have taken their toll. McArthur has played 28 minutes in three appearances this season. It is impossible to adjudicate fairly on those performances, but he is still a huge part of the squad because of his leadership.

He turns 36 in October, though, and is out of contract next month. He seems unlikely to be handed a new deal.

Verdict: Likely to leave

Jeffrey Schlupp

Contract expires: 2024

A below-par start to the season made Schlupp a target for critics, but the second half of it has seen him establish himself as an important player who adds value to Palace’s team. His driving runs forward with the ball can unsettle defences and when he is on the top of his game, he is a core part of the squad who should play regularly. Consistency, however, remains the biggest issue for the 30-year-old to resolve.

Verdict: Fighting for a first-team place

Cheick Doucoure

Contract expires: 2027

Palace’s main acquisition of last summer is a strong contender for their player of the year award after a superb debut season. The 23-year-old has brought technical ability to the holding midfield role, combined with strong challenges and excellent ball distribution.

He was integral under Vieira and has continued to impress for Hodgson. A short period in which his on-field discipline faltered was a disappointment, but he was praised by Hodgson for not picking up any further yellow cards since he took over at the start of last month.

Verdict: Starter

Jairo Riedewald

Contract expires: 2024

There have been just 59 minutes across five league appearances this season for the 26-year-old. Riedewald has barely featured for Palace in recent years and although he is a popular figure who helps young players settle at the club, that is not enough to warrant keeping him around. If there is an opportunity to move him on this summer, it should be taken.

Verdict: Leave

Naouirou Ahamada

Contract expires: 2026

Signed from Stuttgart of Germany’s Bundesliga under Vieira in January, the 21-year-old Frenchman has not been able to claim a regular place in the team. He has shown fleeting glimpses of his talent but has not had a look-in under Hodgson.

Verdict: Squad player

Eberechi Eze

Contract expires: 2025

Eze has been in electric form since Hodgson’s return as manager, in stark contrast to the first half of the season, when he was peripheral under Vieira. He has 10 goals and four assists from 39 appearances across all competitions, with the majority of the former coming in the past two months.

Palace will hope to keep him, but with two years left on his contract, no talks having been held over a new deal and his form surely likely to attract interest from elsewhere, that could prove difficult.

Verdict: Starter

---

Attackers

Michael Olise

Contract expires: 2026

The youngest player to record three assists from open play in a Premier League game, Olise’s performances this season have seen the 21-year-old come of age, impressing with his defensive work as much as his contributions in attack. His 10 assists also make him the first Palace player to make it into double figures for that metric in the Premier League. A crucial part of the squad.

Verdict: Starter

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

Contract expires: 2027

Charlton Athletic fans have taken to Rak-Sakyi, who has won both the supporters’ and players’ player of the year awards at Palace’s League One neighbours, having scored 15 goals and recorded 10 assists during a season-long loan. The 20-year-old is highly thought of back at Palace but will likely be loaned out again next season, probably to a Championship side in a bid to accelerate his development.

Verdict: Loan move

Odsonne Edouard

Contract expires: 2026

Edouard is capable of moments of brilliance – his thumping finish against Fulham to equalise on Saturday was evidence of that – but he has struggled to find a role which suits him since joining from Scottish giants Celtic in the summer of 2021.

A return of five goals from 34 league appearances so far this season is not good enough, particularly after he failed to justify his £14million transfer fee in his debut year. 

The 25-year-old is a better option for Palace than fellow Frenchman Jean-Philippe Mateta, but that isn’t saying much. If the club could afford to sell them both and be confident of bringing in replacements then there are worse decisions they could make. Otherwise, Edouard should be kept on to see if he can demonstrate his worth.

Verdict: Fighting for a first-team place

Jean-Philippe Mateta

Contract expires: 2026

Palace opted not to sell Mateta to join Everton in January, as doing so would have left them with one senior recognised striker. That looked to be a mistake at the time and it still does in hindsight.

The 25-year-old has never been convincing enough to hold down a regular starting berth, scoring just twice in 28 appearances this season — albeit one was that hugely significant last-gasp winner against Leicester last month which provided a springboard for the team’s revival under Hodgson.

If there is an opportunity to sell him and sign someone to take his place, Palace should seriously consider it.

Verdict: Leave

Jordan Ayew

Contract expires: 2024

Ayew was used occasionally in a central midfield role by Vieira and as a striker, but predominantly his appearances have come on the right wing. He has had a productive season, improving his output under Hodgson but defensively as good as ever with Vieira. The 31-year-old remains an important part of the squad but may find he does not have a guaranteed starting role next season depending on arrivals and departures.

Verdict: Fighting for a first-team place

Wilfried Zaha

Contract expires: 2023

The most important decision of all for the club this summer and the most uncertain.

Zaha, who turned 30 last November, has had another fine season, with seven goals from 27 league appearances. But injuries have hit him, with groin and hamstring problems limiting him to eight starts in the past four months.

A new contract worth £200,000 a week is on the table, but he is weighing up whether to accept Palace’s offer or move on. That is a hefty outlay, but his importance to this team is unrivalled, even as his body becomes less reliable and his game changes.

Zaha has learnt to become more efficient and has matured. It is hard to imagine Palace without him next season.

Verdict: Definite starter

(Top photos: Getty Images)