It has been a memorable few months for Crystal Palace. The Eagles have won two trophies in their last three competitive games, masterminded by Oliver Glasner.
Of course, at the helm of that success has been star player Eberechi Eze, who scored the winner against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Yet, it seems his story at Selhurst Park is done. In a whirlwind 24 hours, Tottenham Hotspur had agreed a deal to sign the attacker, but Arsenal have since hijacked that move.
It now seems as though the England international could be on his way to the Emirates Stadium.
With Eze set to leave the club, it means Palace will need a replacement, and they could be plotting a shock move of their own.
Crystal Palace's potential Eze replacement
Perhaps Palace were preempting Eze’s departure, with the club supposedly looking at replacements for their number 10 for some time.
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One of the names on the list is Bilal El Khannouss, with the Leicester City star an option for £32m this summer.
Another name has cropped up recently, and it seems like Palace could be planning a shock move. According to Caught Offside, the Eagles have ‘emerged as one of the clubs interested’ in signing West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta this summer.
The report explains that he is viewed as a ‘marquee signing’ for the South Londoners this summer.
However, it will not be an easy deal to do. Manchester City have renewed their longstanding interest in the Brazilian, with Spurs also showing an interest. Any potential deal struck would need to be upwards of £40m for West Ham to sell.
Why Paqueta would be a good signing for Palace
There is no doubt that losing Eze would be a huge blow for Palace this summer, but replacing him with Paqueta could certainly be a smart move. The former Flamengo star was described as a “magic” player by football scout Antonio Mango, which highlights his quality.
Indeed, the Hammers’ number 10 has impressed during his time at the London Stadium. In 121 appearances for the club, he’s found the back of the net 18 times and assisted a further 14 goals.
Perhaps the defining moment in Paqueta’s West Ham career was his assist in the Conference League final for Jarrod Bowen to win the game. A line-breaking Eze-esque through ball like the one he set the England international up with is exactly the quality Palace fans can expect Paqueta to bring.
If Paqueta can match the influence Eze has had on this Palace side, he will be an instant success. The London-born attacker was described as a “quality player” by fellow Eagles legend Wilfried Zaha.
What a player he has been at Selhurst, too. In 169 appearances for the club, he has scored 40 goals and assisted 28.
Of course, the most important was his cup final winner against Man City, to take Palace to glory and European football. His final game for the club will come in Europe, before his prospective move to Arsenal.
There are plenty of similarities between the two players. Eze’s versatility has been key for Glasner and managers before him. The England star can operate as a number eight, a number 10 or out wide. That is a skill that Paqueta also has in his locker.
Statistically, the pair are similar, too, comparing their stats from their best individual seasons in the Premier League, which were 2023/24 for Paqueta and 2024/25 for Eze. For example, in those respective seasons, the Brazilian created 1.5 chances per 90 minutes and the Palace star created two each game.
Goals and assists
0.5
0.6
Chances created
1.5
2
Foward passes
20.2
8.1
Take-on success rate
58.57%
51.94%
Ball recoveries
6.7
5.1
It is easy to see why Paqueta could be deemed as big a talent as Eze is. Some of the moments he has had in a Hammer shirt are certainly comparable, and he has put up similar underlying numbers, too.
For a fee upwards of just £40m, this could be a steal for Palace and helps keep the attacking output that Eze brought to their side.