Palace fret over transfers before Community Shield
Crystal Palace head into Sunday's Community Shield versus Liverpool with a worry list ranging from injuries and lacklustre transfer business to their pending appeal against UEFA's decision to demote them from the Europa League.
Manager Oliver Glasner guided Palace to a new height in May as they won their first major trophy, beating Manchester City to clinch the FA Cup.
But joy at the South London side's first appearance in the Community Shield has been dampened by their off-field issues.
Palace were dropped to UEFA's third-tier Conference League last month in an alleged multi-club ownership breach because John Textor, president of Olympique Lyonnais majority owners Eagle Football Group, also had a controlling stake in Palace.
Eagle sold their stake in Palace last month, and the English club appealed against the demotion at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with the hearing set for this month.
"If you have to play in the Conference League, it feels like we have been punished," Glasner told reporters on Friday. "We hope that this verdict brings us back into the Europa League because, as I said, we haven't done anything wrong."
To add to Glasner's worries ahead of Sunday's clash at Wembley, striker Eddie Nketiah is out for eight weeks after suffering an injury during pre-season and midfielder Cheick Doucoure will not return for another two months.
"We have also had injuries to (Matheus) Franca and (Caleb) Kporha too. So we are short of numbers. If we want to be competitive, we have to add players with good quality," Glasner added. '
Passive transfer window
But Palace have not been active enough to make up the numbers they need for their first season with a UEFA competition since the 1998 Intertoto Cup, the manager said.
"We have been quite passive in the transfer window. We have to add a few players to be ready for all the competitions," he said. "In a situation like this now, we definitely need two more players, one at the back and one in the attack."
Eberechi Eze, who scored the FA Cup winner, has also been linked with a move away.
"He will play on Sunday, definitely," Glasner said. Glasner said his players were looking forward to taking on Premier League champions Liverpool regardless of the problems.
"Liverpool (are) a top team and it's much better than playing friendlies. It's a chance to win a trophy and the chance to compete with the champions. We want to show our personality again," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Grealish to join Everton on loan
Manchester City winger Jack Grealish has agreed to join Everton on loan for the 2025-26 season, according to reports on Monday. Grealish fell out of favour with City boss Pep Guardiola last season and made just seven starts in the Premier League. The 29-year-old was left out of City's squad for the Club World Cup in the United States amid speculation that he was set to leave the Etihad Stadium. Everton have now agreed a deal for Grealish, who earns a reported £300,000 ($402,000) per week, ahead of the new Premier League campaign, which starts for the Toffees at Leeds on August 18. The England international joined City from Aston Villa in 2021 for a then British record fee of £100 million. Grealish has won three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup with City, but his form had dipped significantly since he played a key role in the 2022-23 treble-winning campaign. He was left out of England's Euro 2024 squad, an omission that left him "heartbroken". Guardiola rarely picked Grealish last season despite City's struggles and he was left on the bench for the shock FA Cup final defeat against Crystal Palace. If Grealish passes a medical and completes his move to Everton, the winger will have a chance to revive his spluttering career and potentially earn a recall to the England squad ahead of next year's World Cup. Everton recently left Goodison Park to move into their new Hill Dickenson stadium ahead of the season, with Grealish set to take centre stage in the plush arena. He will rank as Everton's biggest signing since the end of last season after a quiet summer in the transfer market for boss David Moyes.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
US CG plays taekwondo with Jamshoro students
The US Consul General Scott Urbom recently visited the People's School Jamshoro to interact with students of the English Access Micro-Scholarship Programme. During the visit, Consul General Scott Urbom, taught the students some basic taekwondo moves and played a friendly cricket match with them. The English Access Programme is a two-year initiative that aims to empower Pakistani youth through cultural exchange and community activities. The programme is funded by the US government and has been well-received by students and teachers alike. During the visit, the Consul General praised the students' performance and engaged in a discussion with them on their English language skills. Although he attempted to learn some cricket moves from the students, he was quick to get out in the first ball. However, an expert in Taekwondo, Urbom taught the students some powerful moves. The friendly cricket match between the Consul General and the students ended with the Green Team successfully achieving a target of 5 wickets.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
Should have won at home: Clarke
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke on Sunday criticised England skipper Ben Stokes for his leadership against India, where the series ended 2-2 against India. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Clarke said the result should be seen as a disappointment for England, especially given they were playing in home conditions. "This England team, I think, with a 2-2 draw in your own backyard, if I'm captain of that team, I'm disappointed with that result," Clarke said. "I want to win, especially in my own conditions. I think they would've come into the series expecting to win." Clarke stressed that India had exceeded expectations, particularly considering their pre-series challenges. "I'm not taking India lightly, but I think they've overachieved, particularly with the lead-up to the series. If India lost the series, people would've respected and understood that new captain, two of their most senior players not playing Test cricket," he said. "The best bowler in the world [Jasprit Bumrah] playing only three of the five matches. I think England would've gone into the series expecting to win," he added. It is pertinent to mention that India defeated England by six runs in a thrilling contest at The Oval in the fifth and final Test, leveling the five-match series 2-2 on last week. On the fifth day of the match, England resumed their second innings at 339/6 while chasing a target of 374, with Jamie Smith unbeaten on two and Jamie Overton yet to score. They needed 35 runs for victory on the final day. However, when play resumed on day five, Indian bowlers dominated, making the required 35 runs seem like a mountain to climb for England. The crucial partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook also went in vain as the English side was bowled out for 367. Brook played a spectacular knock of 111 runs off 98 balls, hitting two sixes and 14 fours, while Root added 105 from 152 deliveries with 12 boundaries. Opening batter Ben Duckett also contributed 54, but apart from these innings, England's batting lineup struggled as five players failed to reach double figures. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna starred with the ball for India, claiming four wickets each in the second innings to keep their hopes alive. India had earlier posted 396 runs in their second innings to set England a challenging target. Yashasvi Jaiswal anchored the innings with a superb 118, while Akash Deep scored 66. All-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar chipped in with 53 runs each. Josh Tongue was the pick of the English bowlers, taking five wickets, while Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton claimed three and two respectively. In the first innings, India were dismissed for 224, with Karun Nair top-scoring with 57. Atkinson took five wickets for England, supported by Tongue with three and Chris Woakes with one. England replied with 247 runs in their first innings, with Harry Brook scoring 53. Siraj was once again impressive for India, taking five wickets, while Krishna also claimed four, playing a key role in keeping England in check.
