Palace's problems go beyond the manager

If Palace sign Thomas Frank he should sort out their problems, in particular their defensive woes, and steer them away from the relegation zone.

Frank would be a logical appointment. Although he has been out of work since an ill-fated eight-month tenure at Tottenham Hotspur ended in February, he proved to be a savvy tactician and strong figurehead during the seven previous years at Brentford, a Premier League club on roughly the same level as Palace. Equally, he would have little time to implement his principles, because Palace return to action with a six-pointer against Coventry City a week on Saturday.

Moreover, Palace fans know that the problems at the club are more fundamental than the manager. One commented: ‘we (Palace) have been woeful in the transfer market for the last 3 seasons ….. we leave everything to the last possible second in the transfer window and we haven’t recognised the squad depth required to be playing European football .’

Much of the Palace supporters’ anger is directed at the chairman, Steve Parish, and the transfer supremo, Matt Hobbs. Parish has overseen the club’s greatest era: he led a consortium that saved Palace from liquidation in 2010, and they are now in their 14th consecutive top-flight season. They also lifted their first major trophy by winning the 2024-25 FA Cup and then won the Conference League last season.

Like Brighton and Bournemouth, Palace are generally a mid-table club who often have to sell their best players. Yet this model depends on unearthing gems to replace high-profile departures, and Palace have fallen behind their resourceful rivals in this respect.

Palace are no longer plucking the best players from the Championship — as they did by signing Eberechi Eze in 2020 and Michael Olise in 2021, before selling each for a profit of more than £40m. Nor are they rescuing bigger clubs’ cast-offs like Marc Guéhi, who signed from Chelsea aged 21, became Palace’s FA Cup-winning captain and then moved to Manchester City.

The dip in recruitment quality coincides with the departure of Dougie Freedman as sporting director in 2025. Freedman, who made more than 300 appearances for Palace and also managed them, returned in 2017 and proved a savvy evaluator of talent before leaving for Saudi Arabia. Unlike Brighton or Bournemouth, Palace are not industry leaders in data-driven recruitment, and may have grown overly reliant on Freedman’s eye for talent and intimate knowledge of the club.

Too many recent acquisitions have not worked out. Brennan Johnson lasted seven months after signing for £35m in January. Jorgen Strand Larsen has yet to live up to his £48m fee. None of the 11 summer arrivals have hit the ground running. As for Mateta and Sarr, they have suffered fitness and form issues since their failed attempts to leave.

Palace could not afford to dither. This season’s relegation battle looks competitive and the club, who are owned by Parish and several American businessmen, are open for investment. Relegation would make stakes far less attractive.

The Selhurst Park crowd were resigned rather than furious last Sunday. The Holmesdale Fanatics, a prominent supporter group, disbanded in August, and Palace fans have repeatedly bemoaned how Selhurst is no longer the febrile ground that underpinned their recent success.

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The Political Economy of Football V2

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