Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada says he has yet to make a decision about his future despite nearing the end of his contract.
The Japan international has become an important part of Palace’s squad since joining in the summer of 2024, with that two-year deal expiring in the summer.
Speaking in a press conference before the second leg of Palace’s Conference League quarter-final clash with Fiorentina, Kamada was non-committal about whether or not he would extend his stay in south London beyond the end of the season.
“I really don’t know about my future and I haven’t decided anything yet,” the 29-year-old said. “I really want to know about my future, but I am just focused on every single Palace game. So, I don’t know.”
Kamada’s future may well mirror that of his manager Oliver Glasner, who pushed to bring him to the club on a free transfer having worked with him at Eintracht Frankfurt where the pair won the Europa League together in 2022.
He had a slow start to life at Palace but has gradually become accustomed to the Premier League and become a key player in their midfield.
Meanwhile, Palace will be without forward Evann Guessand, who was forced off with a knee injury in the 3-0 first-leg victory but may yet play a part in their run-in.
“Evann is out for a few weeks with a knee injury,” Glasner said. “Hopefully, he can return by the end of the season. Eddie Nketiah will be out for the rest of the season, but all other players from the first leg travelled with us to Florence.”
Guessand will miss several weeks of action (Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
Glasner was also relaxed about the possibility of losing up to four players through suspension for the first leg of any potential Conference League semi-final, with Chris Richards, Jaydee Canvot, Maxence Lacroix and Adam Wharton all a yellow card away from being banned from that fixture should Palace progress beyond Fiorentina.
“I mentioned it often,” Glasner said. “If you want to avoid something, then things happen, so don’t think about it. Play your game. If it happens, it happens and if not, then not.”
The Austrian insisted that his team would be looking to win in Florence and there would be no complacency from his players despite their comfortable lead in the tie.
“I don’t think that anyone has this mindset. One thing we tried to implement when I arrived more than two years ago is to create the mindset that we always show our standard regardless of which team we are playing, regardless if we play at home or we play away.
“We are here to win. This is the approach. So for me it makes it easy because it’s in every single game.”