The reigning UEFA Europa Conference League champions are fewer than two weeks away from the new season and, at this stage, they appear somewhat underprepared.

In a little under a fortnight, Crystal Palace will travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to begin their 2026/27 Premier League campaign. They are set to do so without a key centre-back, without the most successful manager in the club’s history, and with a number of new signings who have still not shown what they can do in English football.

Given what is already known about the demands of England’s top flight, are the Palace hierarchy taking an unnecessary risk?

For a Premier League club, standing still usually means only one thing: going backwards, especially when the sides around them are recruiting with intent.

Oliver Glasner’s exit created a major gap at Selhurst Park, although Crystal Palace did not leave it unfilled for long after appointing Pierre Sage, who engineered an unlikely Ligue 1 title challenge with RC Lens last season.

Although Glasner’s relationship with sections of the home crowd was at times uneasy, there can be no dispute over his quality as an elite-level head coach. Replacing a manager with that kind of established pedigree is never straightforward, no matter how much time Palace had to settle on their choice.

From a squad-building point of view, FourFourTwo are not especially convinced by the business the South London side have completed so far.

Take the reshaping of Palace’s wide attacking options as an example. The swap deal involving Dwight McNeil and Brennan Johnson immediately prompts questions about the club’s long-term direction. Does replacing one inconsistent Premier League winger with another genuinely make the squad better, or is it simply an uninspiring sideways move?

They are different types of players, even if they operate in similar areas, but neither comes across as the kind of transformative figure required to push Palace’s attack into the top half of the table. From the outside, if anything, it suggests a safety-first approach.

The club’s recruitment plan in other areas is also noteworthy. Spending money on an untested young player from Major League Soccer in Zavier Gozo is perfectly understandable in isolation — it matches Palace’s well-established and commendable model of spotting raw talent with high upside.

Even so, an 18-year-old stepping up from North America cannot realistically be presented as a headline signing expected to shoulder a leading attacking role in the Premier League.

At the same time, the way outgoing talent has been handled may be viewed as short-sighted, with the decision to allow Romain Esse to join Club Brugge standing out. While Esse did not progress at Selhurst Park in the way many had expected, it was widely understood that his lack of minutes was driven mainly by his relationship with Glasner.

With a new manager now in charge, why not give the talented youngster the chance of a fresh start?

At the back, the concerns are even clearer after the departure of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea.

Replacing him with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oscar Mingueza on free transfers may seem economical, but it is still a gamble. Tomiyasu is a smart footballer, yet his long-standing injury record means depending on him as a regular starter every week is a risky call. Mingueza offers useful versatility and depth, but in all probability neither player truly reproduces the influence Lacroix had.

If Palace do not complete more marquee signings before the transfer window shuts, this summer may ultimately prove to be a significant backward step, particularly when set against the strengthening done by clubs that finished below them last season.