Crystal Palace’s first piece of incoming transfer business will see goalkeeper Sam Johnstone announced on a four-year deal following his release from West Bromwich Albion at the end of June.
The 29-year-old England international will now compete with Vicente Guaita for the number one spot at Selhurst Park, with Johnstone identified as the Spaniard’s long-term successor by Palace’s recruitment team. The move will spell concern for the Eagles’ other senior goalkeepers Jack Butland and Remi Matthews, with the former looking likely to be the one to leave SE25 this summer in search of regular game time.
Signing a new goalkeeper was not an immediate concern for the Eagles in this summer window but Johnstone’s arrival will secure the position for several years to come and represents clever business on the club's part. Palace will be getting an England international without having to pay a transfer fee, meaning it won’t reduce the budget Patrick Vieira has to work with to sign his other, more pressing, targets.
READ MORE: Crystal Palace change club badge ahead of new kit launch to reflect new heritage claim
Of those, a central midfielder is one of the most important. Cheick Doucoure was identified early on as the club’s priority signing this window and negotiations are still ongoing with Rennes over a fee for the Mali international. The defensive midfielder has a keen admirer in Vieira who wants a deal sorted quickly so that Doucoure can take part in as much of pre-season as possible.
A centre-back is also high on the agenda, with Palace needing more depth to support Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi at the back. Vieira is reportedly keen to switch to a 3-5-2 formation next season too, which adds further emphasis to Palace’s recruitment drive in that position.
Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards would be a quality addition, though it is not yet clear whether head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be willing to let the USA international leave the Allianz Arena. Chelsea’s Levi Colwill has also been considered, while a loan move to bring Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka back to Selhurst Park at right-back could also still be on the cards.
Conor Gallagher’s energy in midfield will be a sore miss for Vieira next season and director of football Dougie Freedman has spent months looking at potential replacements that could fill the hole left by the Chelsea loanee. Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien and Rangers’ Joe Aribo have both been considered.
Finally, a decision must be made by Vieira on whether to keep faith in Palace’s current crop of strikers or to try and find a new forward. Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta found the net just 11 times between them across 50 combined league appearances last season and are both on long contracts. Christian Benteke has one year left on his deal and could potentially move on, leaving space in the wage structure to find another option if required.
If everything goes according to plan, Vieira should have a squad able to surpass last season’s successes and push further up the Premier League table, with the Frenchman recently explaining to the club’s website that he wants to take the Eagles to another level in his second season as a top-flight manager in England.
“I loved the season. I loved it on and off the field,” he said. ”The satisfaction of course is seeing the evolution of the team and seeing the team performing with a clear idea about what we’re trying to achieve.
“It’s been a really good first season but the next one will be even more difficult. This is what I want us to focus on. I will not talk about finishing here or there, there’s no position in my head about where we want to finish. What I want again is for us to compete with our values every single day. We did it quite well last season. We won and we lost, but we always competed. I think now we must take that to a different level.”
READ NEXT:
* Why Chris Richards is linked with Crystal Palace as Southampton eye Bayern Munich defender
* When Crystal Palace missed the chance to sign £5million Virgil van Dijk years before Liverpool
* Patrick Vieira eyes up Crystal Palace switch but needs Steve Parish to help him with transfers
* Who Is Malcolm Ebiowei? Former Arsenal prospect being persued by Man United and Crystal Palace
* Crystal Palace announce released list of players as midfielder shown exit door
