Josh Harris’ Palace Deal Will See Steve Parish Retain A Major Stake

Talk of a takeover at Crystal Palace may have died down a little of late, but a report in yesterday’s Evening Standard suggested that any deal which did usher new investment into the club, would have to see current co-chairman Steve Parish retaining a major stake.

Many of the early stories regarding US billionaire Josh Harris’ interest in becoming part of the ownership team at Selhurst Park were based along the lines of Parish and his fellow owners seeing their stakes in the football club reduced heavily as a collective, but now, it seems as though the former will still be a major stakeholder, whatever happens.

Whilst all four members of CPFC2010 remain in total agreement over the benefits that additional financial backing will bring, there is an obvious degree of trepidation attached to the prospect of handing power over completely, given the mess they found it in when saving us from certain extinction five years ago.

With Steve Parish having been the public face of the consortium since its conception, it feels as though he personally would be loathe to hand over the reins entirely, having built the football club from its foundations in many senses.

Should he at least retain all, or close to all of his current stake, there will be a tangible connection to the group who fully understand where we as a collective entity have come from, rather than those in charge simply seeing our place in England’s top flight as the sole reason for our importance within the game.

It’s undoubtedly a delicate balancing act to manage for CPFC2010, who, in wanting the best for Crystal Palace FC, are no doubt a little torn over which direction to move in, but as the summer looms, it seems as if we may have some concrete details over the intricacies of any agreement before too long.

For rolling news and comment on everything happening at Crystal Palace FC, follow Hopkin Looking To Curl One… on twitter by clicking here…

Advertisements

Palace To Sign Experienced French Defender On The Cheap?

According to reports in France, Crystal Palace have formally approached Montpellier defender Daniel Congre over a move to SE25 this summer.

The dreadlocked defender has been with his current employers since 2012, having signed from his boyhood club Toulouse, but thanks to the lure of the Premier League, could be tempted into making the switch to Selhurst Park if the opportunity arises.

Standing at six feet tall, the 30-year-old can operate across the back four, but is best deployed on the right-hand side of defence. Known for his lightning pace, his versatility could well be a key reason for the club’s supposed interest in finalising a deal.

Having made up part of the Montpellier squad that took part in the Champions League campaign during his first season with them, Congre may relish the challenge of playing in the English top flight, after a career spent solely in French football to date; particularly when you consider that Montpellier will not be playing European football next season after a league campaign which currently finds them in seventh place.

Whilst he may not be a name many will be familiar with, Congre could well prove to be a shrewd signing from Alan Pardew if it does in fact come off, with the next few months sure to see plenty of other names being churned out by the rumour mill.

For rolling news and comment on everything happening at Crystal Palace FC, follow Hopkin Looking To Curl One… on twitter by clicking here…