Crystal Palace sign £15m Guehi replacement and £10m Man City gem in bold January window prediction
Oliver Glasner’s side could look to poach stars from their Premier League rivals in January
It’s been a case of no Eberchi Eze, no problem for Crystal Palace so far in 2025/26 as a season that threatened to be completely derailed before it even really got going instead promises a record-breaking Premier League finish and potentially even silverware and a Conference League fairytale.
Arguably no team except Liverpool had a more negative approach to this campaign than the Eagles as Eze departed and lynchpin Marc Guehi looked set to follow him as Oliver Glasner also fought off interest in Adam Wharton and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Coupled with their off-field demotion to from the Europa League and a failure to beat tort tormentors Nottingham Forest in El CASico, things looked grim for Glasner’s men, but it’s been a different story since the transfer window slammed shut.
Palace are belying their usual magnetism towards 12th place, sitting pretty in fifth as one of just two unbeaten teams in the Premier League, have an exciting but eminently winnable fixture list in the Conference League featuring Dynamo Kyiv, AEK Larnaca, AZ Alkmaar, Strasbourg, Shelbourne and KuPS Kuopio.
In the league, a 3-0 demolition of Aston Villa on the final of August gave the Eagles’ season lift-off so how could Palace look to supplement their squad in January? We asked Grok for suggestions…
Youth a staple of Crystal Palace recruitment
Chris Rigg - £12 million from Sunderland - If by some miracle Crystal Palace can keep hold of Wharton long-term, Rigg would be the perfect midfield partner. If they can’t, Rigg has all the tools to fill Wharton’s boots having only turned 18 in June. A positive dribbler and pinpoint, Rigg also isn’t afraid of a tackle despite his tender age and slight frame. Rigg was in the 20% in his position for dribblers challenged and tackled in the Championship last season, and will surely rack up dozens of England caps.
Admittedly £12m appears cheap for such a prospect but after Sunderland spent £75m upgrading their midfield in the summer, Rigg has played just 39 Premier League minutes, two of them in 60-second cameos against Palace (ironically) and West Ham.
Jake O’Brien - £15m from Everton - Once again, £15m seems very cheap for such a talent, especially given it would represent a loss for Everton on O’Brien. But even if the Eagles have to splash out more for the Ireland international, he would surely be worth it as the new Guehi.
Signed to Everton as a centre-back, O’Brien barely got a look-in under Sean Dyche clocking just 34 Premier League minutes, but he’s been one of David Moyes’ biggest success stories in his second spell on Merseyside despite circumstances forcing the 24-year-old to right-back most of the time. That underlines his ball-playing abilities alongside his defensive solidity, which makes him the perfect replacement at the back for Glasner.
Divin Mubama - £10m from Manchester City - Mubama has already scored twice on loan at Stoke City this season. Having just turned 20, Mubama would be a versatile addition to the forward line and provide a rotation option for Mateta with the increased workload on the Eagles’ squad.
Clyne and Lerma amongst clear out as Guehi free
Marc Guehi - £50m to Chelsea - If it keeps suggesting over-payments like that, Grok will have a role in a Saudi Pro League club’s scouting department in no time. Or maybe it already does - how else do you explain the deals for Fabinho or Joao Felix? Anyway, despite Glasner putting his job on the line to keep Guehi at Selhurst Park, the Eagles would surely have no choice but to accept a £50m bid in the final six months of their England star’s contract.
Nathaniel Clyne - £3m to Southampton - Grok was clearly in a romantic move as it sent Clyne back to his boyhood alongside suggesting Sam Johnstone return to Manchester United and Jeffrey Schlupp head back to Leicester City, where he started 14 times as the Foxes were crowned Premier League champions.
Unfortunately neither player is still at Selhurst Park (hopefully my job is safe from AI at least until the next Grok or ChatGPT update), but Clyne back at Southampton would be a welcome sight for fans of Barclays nostalgia.
Now aged 34, Clyne made 104 appearances for the Saints - one more than he made for Liverpool after a £12.5m move in 2015 when he was still an England squad regular.
Jefferson Lerma - £7m to Besiktas - The addition of Chris Rigg means Crystal Palace would be well-stocked in central midfield with the evergreen Will Hughes the first rotation option and plenty of other bodies available for Glasner to call on as fighting on four fronts begins to take its toll. Which means Lerma’s eight-season stint in English football, including 166 Premier League appearances, may be over.
AI-predicted 2026 Crystal Palace starting XI: Grok sticks with Glasner’s successful 3-4-2-1 formation, and goes with: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, O’Brien; Munoz, Wharton, Rigg, Mitchell; Kamada, Pino; Mateta.