Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has reaffirmed his desire to keep hold of all of his talented young players and warded off any potential suitors they may have.
The Frenchman is enjoying an impressive debut season in the Premier League as a manager, with the Eagles currently sat ninth in the table and into an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley. Palace boast an impressive roster of young players, all with huge potential who have stood out for them over the course of Vieira’s first year in charge.
Summer signings Marc Guehi (21) and Michael Olise (20) have become fan favourites for their performances while players Vieira inherited Ebere Eze (23) and Tyrick Mitchell (22) to a talented pool of young talent tied down to long contracts. For Palace fans, there’s a lot to be excited about.
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But, as expected, there have already been rumblings of reported interest in several of Palace’s young stars ahead of the summer transfer window. In his latest pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Vieira was asked this week whether he would be talking to Palace’s sporting director Dougie Freedman about ensuring his promising group of players stuck together in SE25 for as long as possible.
“Our main focus is to finish the season well and then we will have time to build or to talk about what we need to improve,” he said. “But we have those young players and the plan is of course for them to stay as long as they can in the football club.
“They are part of the football club and we want to build something here. We will always try to improve the squad, improve the team, but those young players who are here with us will stay with us. They have a big potential. We know what they are capable of doing.”
Vieira takes his Palace side to the King Power Stadium on Sunday to face Leicester before heading to Wembley a week later to take on Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals. The Frenchman was asked whether he had eye on the cup while heading into the game against the Foxes but he was adamant that the team’s preparation had not changed at all for the fixture.
“[The FA Cup] is not in my thinking,” he said. “And it's not in the players’ thinking either and that will not have an impact on the starting XI that I choose [against Leicester]. We have time to think about the FA Cup, the main focus is on Leicester and about putting the best squad to win the game.”
He added: “We just try to find the best way to prepare for the game and to prepare for the game is to perform well and to play well. And of course, if you manage to win the Leicester game that will give you more confidence, but nothing will change. We are really excited about this semi-final but we will have time to think about it and to prepare ourselves after the Leicester game.”
