Crystal Palace could be facing one of their toughest seasons in recent years, purely down to the amount of outgoings expected this summer.
Having already lost Michael Olise, other names who could be on their way out are Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze, which would mean three of their best players leaving the club in the same summer.
This would leave Oliver Glasner in a tricky situation, having to find replacements for his most important players, whilst also trying to improve other areas of the squad, all with the Premier League set to kick off in less than a weeks' time.
Luckily, Palace have already managed to replace Olise with the signing of Ismaila Sarr, but there will be a lot of pressure for him to replicate what Olise did last season, scoring ten goals and providing six assists in only 19 games.
Crystal Palace transfer news
According to Fabrizio Romano, Crystal Palace are set to miss out on re-signing Wilfried Zaha, who looks set to join Leicester, as opposed to re-signing with the Eagles.
Instead, he looks as though he's on his way to Premier League rivals Leicester City. That's according to the ever-reliable John Percy.
Zaha would join Issahaku Fatawu, Caleb Okoli, Michael Golding and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, becoming Leicester's fifth signing this summer, after losing their manager, Enzo Maresca, and POTY, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall this summer to Chelsea.
Zaha made 42 appearances for Galatasaray in all competitions last season, scoring ten goals, providing five assists, and totalling 2,110 minutes played.
Zaha vs Sarr comparison
Since losing Olise, Palace have, of course, made the signing of Sarr from Marseille, looking to replace the output of Olise.
However, to replace such a huge hole in the squad, it may need multiple players in order to do so.
Zaha seems he could have been an option to return to Palace, can play off both wings, and even through the middle if needed. This firstly could've strengthened the depth of the Palace attack, but also prepared them for another likely exit, of Eze.
Goals
0.48
0.24
0.70
Assists
0.19
0.19
0.42
xG
0.17
0.27
0.39
Progressive Carries
2.92
3.01
4.79
Progressive Passes
1.88
2.39
5.49
Shots
2.79
1.77
3.94
Shots on Target
1.01
0.81
1.41
Shot-Creating Actions
3.13
2.87
5.77
Successful Take-Ons
2.29
0.96
2.82
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
Described as "sensational" by Graeme Souness back in 2018, the ex-Palace man ranks closer to Olise in five of the nine metrics used above, whilst Sarr ranks higher in three metrics, and they are joint for assists per 90.
This instantly shows what each signing could've brought to the squad, in an attempt to replace Olise's output.
Zaha brings that 1v1 threat, completing more successful take-ons per 90, getting a higher volume of shots off, and scoring more goals through this. Whilst Sarr brings a slightly more progressive profile, adding extra progressive carries + passes per 90.
A combination of the two could have brought that creative flair back to the side, whilst also adding the much-needed G/A output, however, it seems Leicester could be gaining that from Zaha now instead.
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