If Crystal Palace fall by the wayside in the closing stages of the 2025/26 campaign, they will be the architects of their own downfall.
There’s no question that Oliver Glasner‘s side are a touch nervy at the business stage, and while they are set for a mid-table finish in the Premier League, there is so much to play for out on the continent.
Could Glasner make it another title-winning season for the Eagles, having immortalised himself at Selhurst Park following FA Cup triumph last term, defeating Manchester City in the final?
Having lost Marc Guehi during the January transfer window, Crystal Palace have responded well, but the fact remains that the skipper now plays elsewhere in the Premier League in what has been a significant blow.
How Crystal Palace have dealt with Guehi sale
Crystal Palace are nothing if not durable. In 2024, Michael Olise left for Bayern Munich. Then, last summer, it was Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, the arbiter of his side’s FA Cup victory leaving for £67m.
Only six months later did Guehi complete a transfer to Manchester City, who he is helping toward the Premier League title.
This is one of the best defenders around. Not just in the Premier League but across Europe. In that, Palace’s ability to adapt and still push for silverware is doubly impressive.
Guehi is immense, so good on the ball and intelligent when against surging forwards. Replacing him at the back was always going to be a tough ask, but Palace have not fallen by the wayside.
Marc Guehi’s Premier League Form
Stats (* per 90)
24/25
25/26
Matches (starts)
34 (34)
30 (30)
Goals + Assists
3 + 2
3 + 2
Clean sheets
11
11
Touches*
64.9
77.3
Accurate passes*
43.1 (84%)
56.2 (89%)
Chances created*
0.5
0.5
Possession lost*
9.7
8.6
Dribble success
86%
56%
Ball recoveries*
4.3
4.2
Tackles + interceptions*
2.6
2.9
Clearances*
4.6
4.7
Ground duels*
2.9 (63%)
2.5 (62%)
Aerial duels*
2.0 (54%)
2.9 (69%)
It’s clear that chairman Steve Parish is going to need to scour the market for a top centre-half this summer, but he might have already signed a young defender who can match and maybe even outstrip Guehi in a Palace shirt.
Parish has already signed Palace’s new Guehi
Against West Ham United on Monday evening, Canvot played with gusto and confidence, illustrating further his capacity to excel in the Premier League. He is still so young, and yet, this is a player who has stepped up since Guehi’s sale and is very much at home alongside the likes of Maxence Lacroix.
Praised for his “remarkable” performance by Eagles correspondent Ed Aarons, Canvot has come on leaps and bounds over the course of the year, no longer the uncertain centre-back who stood daunted at the start of his Premier League journey.
There’s no question that the teenager has taken elements from Guehi’s game, adding them to his own and growing into a modern-day defender tailored toward an elite level.
The Eagles were not at their sharpest when they held off West Ham, but Canvot was immense in the rearguard, winning eight duels, making 11 clearances and recovering five loose balls.
Naturally progressive and confident on the ball, Canvot has effectively spawned as Guehi has departed. Such athleticism and maturity, you wouldn’t believe that this is a teenage prospect who has been hurled into the deep end.
Waves of praise washed onto Canvot’s door after that big display, and it does feel like Europe’s biggest hitters are going to start sniffing around before long.
Canvot is not the finished article, but he’s already thriving in Guehi’s place, and he might just secure a gold medal around his shoulders before the end of the season.
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