Latest news with #Palace
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal target stunning Eze transfer swoop years after leaving star 'in tears'
Arsenal have contacted Eberechi Eze's representatives to discuss signing the Crystal Palace star, who they released aged 13 but are interested in signing this summer Arsenal could be about to offer Eberechi Eze the chance to resurrect his childhood dream. The Gunners are interested the signing the Crystal Palace star, who enjoyed his best season yet last term. Eze, 26, memorably scored the winning goal for Palace in this year's FA Cup final and has made himself regular in England squads. And now the playmaker could be set for Champions League football. Mirror Football reported on Friday that talks between Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta and Eze's representatives have taken place, and the Gunners are now considering triggering his £68million release clause. Arsenal would be competing with north London rivals Tottenham, as new Spurs boss Thomas Frank is understood to be a big fan of the 26-year-old. But Berta could make use a trump card thanks to Eze's past. The England international played for Arsenal as a youngster, only to be released aged 13 in a crushing blow to his hopes of becoming a professional footballer. "I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it's going to be okay but not being able to get over it," Eze told the Independent in 2020. "Then I went to Fulham and I was finally starting to enjoy my football again. "We played Arsenal a few months later but, when I went over to shake the academy manager's hand, I started welling up. All the feelings came back." Eze's eventual breakthrough with Queens Park Rangers was testament to his resilience, having also been snubbed by Millwall and Sunderland. The future Wembley hero considered quitting football and getting a part-time job at Tesco before QPR snapped him up. The pain of his early struggles still fuels him, telling BBC Sport in May: "I remember the deflation. But all I kept asking myself was: 'When's the next trial? When's the next trial?'" Should Arsenal pay £68million for Eberechi Eze? Have your say in the comments section. Eze is under contract at Palace until 2027 and the Eagles will be hoping to convince him to stay for at least one more season after they qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup. Their entry, however, is subject to a UEFA decision over whether or not both Palace and French giants Lyon can be in European competition due to shared ownership links. "I really hope that that's not the case and I hope that Palace do get the reward for that (FA Cup win), because of what it took to actually achieve it," Eze commented last month. "It would be a huge shame if that was the case, but I'm trusting that it will work out in the end. I'm sure it will work itself out and it should work itself out, because there are players who have worked to be in this position. "There are fans who have been with the team throughout the whole season and experienced everything. It would be unfortunate, but I'm positive that it won't be the case."
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Crystal Palace's Europa League hopes hang in the balance after Lyon agreement
Crystal Palace earned a place in the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, but UEFA's multi-club ownership rules threaten their participation amid a nervous wait for a decision Lyon have struck a deal with UEFA which they hope will pave the way for them to play in the Europa League next season. The announcement could spell bad news for Crystal Palace, whose own participation in Europe is up in the air. Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final to earn a place in the 2025/26 Europa League, but UEFA's multi-club ownership rules have thrown a spanner in the works. Eagle Football Holdings, who have a 43 per cent stake in Palace, are also the owners of Lyon and UEFA doesn't allow two clubs with the same owners to compete in the same competition. John Textor, of Eagle Football Holdings, announced on Monday that he had sold his stake to US billionaire Woody Johnson for £190million in an effort to rectify the issue. But that deal still has to be ratified by the Premier League because Johnson, who also owns NFL franchise the New York Jets, has to pass the owners' and directors' test. The situation was further complicated by the news on Tuesday that Lyon had been relegated from Ligue 1 due to financial issues. The French giants finished sixth in Ligue 1 but saw their demotion confirmed by the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG). Nevertheless, they have now announced that they should be able to keep their place in the Europa League next season, despite playing in Ligue 2. 'After validating its financial viability procedure, Olympique Lyonnais (OL) has signed an agreement with UEFA's club financial control body,' the statement read. 'The club could thus participate in the Europa League competition next season, subject to a favorable outcome during the appeal of the DNCG's decision. OL thanks to the UEFA representatives who supported it in this procedure.' Eagle Football Holdings are reported to have mounted up debts of around £422m to fall foul of the regulators. But chiefs Textor and Michael Gerlinger are understood to have personally given financial presentations to provide guarantees and reassurances to UEFA's Club Financial Control Body. According to reports in France, Textor has reportedly promised a €35m (£30m) investment to steady the ship. But it remains to be seen whether the DNCG and UEFA have different interpretations of Lyon's finances. Palace are remaining hopeful that Textor's decision to sell the club to Johnson will allow them to compete in the Europa League next season. A decision from UEFA is expected by the end of the month after club officials flew to Switzerland for high-stakes talks. A club statement earlier this week read: "Crystal Palace Football Club can confirm that Robert Wood Johnson 'Woody', an American businessman and co-owner of the New York Jets, has signed a legally binding contract to purchase Eagle Football's holding in the Club. 'Whilst the completion is pending approval from the Premier League and Women's Super League, we do not envisage any issues and look forward to welcoming Woody as a partner and director of the club. We would like to go on record to thank John Textor for his contribution over the past four years and wish him every success for the future."
Scottish Sun
17 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Crystal Palace forced to wait on crunch Europa League decision from Uefa chiefs with new date revealed
One team has already been kicked out of Europe CRYSTAL BALL Crystal Palace forced to wait on crunch Europa League decision from Uefa chiefs with new date revealed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CRYSTAL Palace will have to wait until at least Monday to discover if they have been cleared to play their first European campaign. Palace's 'Multi Club Ownership' issues were among a number of similar matters being considered by Uefa finance chiefs. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Crystal Palace will find out if they are in Europe on Monday Credit: Reuters 2 John Textor has sold his stake in the club Credit: AFP But the meeting at Uefa headquarters in Nyon has so many cases to consider that final verdicts will not be announced until after the weekend. Palace legal beaks and executives pleaded their case to Uefa's Club Financial Control Body, with their arguments strengthened by Lyon's relegation from France's top flight over the club's soaring debts. The Selhurst club have been made to wait for the green light since their FA Cup Final win over Manchester City because Lyon are owned by the Eagle Football group owned by US businessman John Textor, who had a 44.9 per cent stake in Palace despite being kept at arms length by Steve Parish and Americans Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer. Despite his limited role at Selhurst Park, Uefa were concerned that Textor's ownership stake breached regulations stating that clubs which are part of a shared ownership group cannot compete in the same competition. Those rules saw Manchester United owners Ineos park their shares in French side Nice in a blind trust to allow both to play in the Europa League last season, with Chelsea owners BlueCo withdrawing from their hands-on role at Strasbourg. And Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis stepped back from any official role at the City Ground in April, to meet the Uefa requirements, when he hoped the East Midlanders would qualify for the Champions League alongside Greek side Olympiacos. Palace, though, did not make any changes to the ownership structure ahead of the Uefa deadline for next season - a situation complicated by Blitzer's ownership of Danish side Brondby, who qualified for the Conference League. And as Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1, compared to Palace's 12th-placed ranking in the Prem, they take priority over the South East London side. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Despite that, the FA have backed the Eagles and Palace's cause was also aided by Textor's announcement that he is selling his Palace shares to New York Jets owner and former US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson in a £190m deal. That sale still has to be cleared by the Premier League, although it is not expected to be held up. Crystal Palace could be KICKED OUT of Europa League before a ball is even kicked Textor now faces being ejected from the Lyon hotseat as well, with investment fund Ares, who loaned the US businessman £330m to fund his takeover in 2023, seeking to install new leadership. Lyon's relegation means they would not be nominated to take up their Europa League place, although the club are appealing against the decision of French football's financial regulator. But if Lyon were to win their appeal after being excluded from the official entry list, Nyon chiefs anticipate they are likely to apply to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to be reinstated. That would probably be at the expense of Strasbourg, who finished seventh in Ligue 1 and are expected to be nominated in Lyon's place. However, insiders anticipate that Palace would not be retrospectively prohibited from competing if Uefa has cleared their entry. Meanwhile, Irish side Drogheda has been expelled from the Uefa Conference League. This is due to multi-club ownership rules in a similar circumstance to Palace.
The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Crystal Palace forced to wait on crunch Europa League decision from Uefa chiefs with new date revealed
CRYSTAL Palace will have to wait until at least Monday to discover if they have been cleared to play their first European campaign. Palace's 'Multi Club Ownership' issues were among a number of similar matters being considered by Uefa finance chiefs. Advertisement 2 Crystal Palace will find out if they are in Europe on Monday Credit: Reuters 2 John Textor has sold his stake in the club Credit: AFP But the meeting at Uefa headquarters in Nyon has so many cases to consider that final verdicts will not be announced until after the weekend. The Selhurst club have been made to wait for the green light since their FA Cup Final win over Manchester City because Despite his limited role at Selhurst Park, Uefa were concerned that Textor's ownership stake breached regulations stating that clubs which are part of a shared ownership group cannot compete in the same competition. Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBAL Those rules saw And Palace, though, did not make any changes to the ownership structure ahead of the Uefa deadline for next season - a situation complicated by Blitzer's ownership of Danish side Brondby, who qualified for the Conference League. And as Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1, compared to Palace's 12th-placed ranking in the Prem, they take priority over the South East London side. Advertisement Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Despite that, the FA have backed the Eagles and Palace's cause was also aided by Textor's announcement that he is selling his Palace shares to New York Jets owner and That sale still has to be cleared by the Premier League, although it is not expected to be held up. Crystal Palace could be KICKED OUT of Europa League before a ball is even kicked Textor now faces being ejected from the Lyon hotseat as well, with investment fund Ares, who loaned the US businessman £330m to fund his takeover in 2023, seeking to install new leadership. Advertisement Lyon's relegation means they would not be nominated to take up their Europa League place, although the club are appealing against the decision of French football's financial regulator. But if Lyon were to win their appeal after being excluded from the official entry list, Nyon chiefs anticipate they are likely to apply to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to be reinstated. That would probably be at the expense of Strasbourg, who finished seventh in Ligue 1 and are expected to be nominated in Lyon's place. However, insiders anticipate that Palace would not be retrospectively prohibited from competing if Uefa has cleared their entry. Advertisement Meanwhile, Irish side Drogheda has been expelled from the Uefa Conference League. This is due to multi-club ownership rules in a similar circumstance to Palace.
Evening Standard
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Evening Standard
UEFA decision on Crystal Palace's Europa League place delayed
Palace know they could be demoted to compete in the Conference League if the CFCB rules against their involvement in the Europa League, although they, too, could appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
