'It is past time that the club cashed in on one of its prime prospects'

It was only a matter of time. One moment, Crystal Palace finally gets most of their squad back together, and the results flow. The next, they are bracing themselves for bids for their best players.

Hardly unique to this club, it is part of the life cycle of any team outside of those at the very top of the global pyramid. It is likely a question of who and how many leave rather than retaining them all once again.

The prime candidates stand out to those with only a faint interest in the club. Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, off the back of a demolition of West Ham, are the two brightest attacking talents. Meanwhile, Marc Guehi, if not for an injury, was a near-guaranteed selection for Gareth Southgate's Euro squad this summer.

Frustrating, perhaps, but the solace is that in an era of top-flight football, fans have enjoyed far longer stays for talented players at Selhurst Park. Take Eze, who passed 100 Premier League games this season after joining nearly four years ago, a far cry from the experience in the league below.

Loyalty also works both ways in football. Players who have carried the club through the past seasons ultimately owe it to themselves to test themselves at the highest levels. In the case of Eze and Olise, their new deals this season acted as short-term rewards for productive players and came with the caveats of release clauses further down the line, beneficial to both player and club.

Here is where idealism meets financial realities. Palace's strategy, while not groundbreaking, has been to acquire young talents to sell at a profit. The club has been successful with step one, having amassed several talents, with few misses in a three or four-year stretch, but still needs to prove the second part of the concept.

The 2022-23 accounts listed only £300,000 worth of player sales, and thus far, only Jake O'Brien's move to Lyon this summer for a reported €1m will have factored into this year's. It is past time that the club cashed in on one of its prime prospects to reinvest in the squad and balance the books.

With potential moves still mere speculation, there are still matches where we can enjoy those key players, knowing any transfers will likely secure the club's future far beyond their stays.

Alex Pewter can be found at FYP podcast