Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge insists that Crystal Palace simply need to stay in the Premier League this season.
The club have embarked on an aggressive summer of recruitment that has seen them bring in a number of first-team players following the appointment of Patrick Vieira as manager.
A number of players left upon the expiration of their contracts and Palace have signed both Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, the first on a permanent deal and the second on loan, along with Joachim Andersen from Lyon and Michael Olise from Reading.
Will Vieira last the season at Palace?
Yes
No
Six first-team players have found new clubs – Andros Townsend to Everton, Patrick van Aanholt to Galatasaray, Mamadou Sakho to Montpellier, Gary Cahill to Bournemouth, Wayne Hennessey to Burnley and James McCarthy to Celtic – while Scott Dann and Connor Wickham remain without clubs.
And Bridge thinks that the club will simply be aiming to stay afloat this season, having finished 14th under Roy Hodgson last season.
He said: “Steve Parish won’t admit this to me but all that matters is being in the Premier League.
“A cup run, great, get in the final, great, win the cup, great, but they must stay in the Premier League. Anything else is a bonus and I’ll have Palace fans going mad at me for this.”