The loss of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich and Joachim Andersen to Fulham has left a gaping hole in the Eagles side that cannot simply be filled with fresh young talent or summer signings who are still adapting to life in the Premier League.
Palace received around £80m in total for Olise and Anderson but replaced them with the likes of the practically untested Eddie Nketiah who made brief but impressive cameos for Arsenal, Ismaïla Sarr who’s only Premier League stint was with relegated side Watford and two defenders in Maxence Lacroix and Chadi Riad who are yet to show any stability in a shaky defence.
New manager Oliver Glasner is walking on thin ice after a disappointing start which has highlighted the gaps left by the talent who has moved on from the club. Glasner does deserve some credit, however, as when former manager Roy Hodgson left the Eagles in February 2024, they were 16th in the 20-team league just two spots above the relegation zone.
However, the Austrian manager is yet to secure a win this season and the attractive, attacking football on display last term has only filtered through a few times so far against the likes of Leicester City in their second half comeback and also their draw against Chelsea after a fantastic Eberechi Eze goal.
Eze is an interesting figure at the club and has been a driving factor in the Eagles success and dominant style for some years. Last season he scored 11 goals and bagged 6 assists in a year that earnt him an England call-up under Gareth Southgate. In his opening 5 games this season however, he has scored just once with no assists to brag about.
When the call came from Bayern Munich this summer many would have thought Eze would be the one to pack his bags but his younger, more versatile counterpart Olise was the name on the contract as he jetted off to Germany. The Frenchman has 5 goals and 3 assists in just 6 starts for the title challengers which is a huge contrast to Eze so far.
However, it is still only the beginning of the season and the squad at Glasner's disposal, despite losing some key players, is far better than their current position suggests. Their next fixture is against Everton and anything short of a win against a team who are dead bottom of the league would put immense pressure on the 50-year-old tactician.
Without victory, Palace's winless streak in the Premier League will extend to six games which would be unprecedented for a side who have the quality to challenge for a European spot on paper. A relegation fight seems unlikely for the South London side and a win could start a much-needed resurgence for a side who have fallen short of the mark at the start of their campaign.