Crystal Palace should move to snatch transfer listed Newcastle United star amid glaring gap

Crystal Palace should consider offering a Premier League defender a deal in a bid to add much-needed leadership. The Eagles have been on an almighty slide, storming into the top four early in the season and now sitting on the edge of the relegation battle, albeit they are still eight points clear of the drop.

Palace have lost club captain Marc Guehi, star man Jean-Philippe Mateta seems to want to leave, and Olivier Glasner has told the club he will leave at the end of this season. Combine all that with the potential for Adam Wharton to leave this summer, and Palace have a pivotal summer ahead of them.

If Palace don’t get their next appointment and their summer recruitment right, there is potential for disaster. But the London club have recruited very well over recent years, and so there are certainly grounds for fans not to be panicking whereas fans of other clubs might be.

For now, Palace need to be looking at finding a replacement for Mateta, whether the striker leaves this month or in the summer, and they still need to find a proper replacement for Guehi, who joined Manchester City ahead of time.

Against Chelsea, Glasner utilised a back three of Jaydee Canvot, Chris Richards and Maxence Lacroix. Chadi Riad is also an option, but there are limited centre-back options. Beyond that, Palace now have a big gap in their leadership cohort following the exit of Guehi.

But there is an opportunity to tick both of those boxes due to developments elsewhere in the Premier League.

Palace could add key leadership with experienced defender

One Premier League centre-back who has just become available is Newcastle United’s Jamaal Lascelles. According to the Newcastle Chronicle, the 32-year-old has been told he can leave the club if the right deal can be struck.

Lascelles has made just two Premier League appearances so far this season but he has been struggling with injury since November. For that reason, Palace should not be considering anything more than an 18-month contract, but it’s a deal they should be considering.

Newcastle would likely accept a deal worth just a couple of million given the veteran is out of contract at the end of this season, and while Lascelles may not be a starter, he would add another centre-back option while also adding vital leadership at a time when Palace appear to be falling apart.

Lascelles has spent the last few years, in particular, in a top-level dressing room and he is not going to put up with poor standards on or off the pitch. That’s important at any club, and even if the Eagles spent £2million or £3million and get a supplementary player who does his best work in the dressing room, it would be a deal worth doing at a time when the club has just lost its club captain far sooner than expected.

Howe on Lascelles’ attitude

Speaking back in 2023, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said of Lascelles: “I’m so pleased for Jamaal. I said countless times last year how good his attitude was and how well he trained. He was so good for the group, but ultimately, he’s desperate to show how good he is on the pitch.

“The biggest compliment I can pay him is that he’s stepped in and really stepped up to the challenge. I think he’s done really well in the last group of games we’ve had. He had to train so well to continue to develop his game when he wasn’t playing. My inner belief was always that he would improve, even though he wasn’t in the starting XI, and that his game was in a really good place, and I think he proved that tonight. I’m delighted for him, and his performance was a real testament to his attitude and character.”

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