Matheus Franca has work to do at Crystal Palace this summer.
It has almost been three years now since the Eagles spent £26m to sign the Brazilian from Flamengo in August 2023 – but he only has one goal to show for his efforts in 19 appearances for Crystal Palace.
Even a return to Brazil with Vasco da Gama last season during a loan spell failed to see the 22-year-old rediscover his best form.
Considering Franca will only have 12 months remaining on his contract next summer, it is imperative that he starts to show some progress, and there has now been a boost for the South American after he discovered he will not be shoved down the pecking order by the arrival of Evann Guessand.
Does Matheus Franca have a future at Crystal Palace? 🇧🇷
Opportunity emerges for Matheus Franca as Crystal Palace snub £28m Evann Guessand deal
Guessand made 14 appearances as a left-sided No.10 while on loan from Aston Villa in the second half of last season, which is where Franca – who Yannick Bolasie admires – tends to play when he has featured for the Eagles.
Therefore, had Crystal Palace triggered their £28m option to buy the Ivory Coast international on a permanent basis, it feels like it would have been much harder for Franca to impress next season with another body ahead of him in the pecking order, along with Yeremy Pino and Brennan Johnson.
However – according to the Standard – Crystal Palace have opted not to activate the £28m option to sign Guessand and the Ivorian is expected to remain with Aston Villa next season.
While that is a positive for Franca, he still has plenty of work to do, starting with our first pre-season friendly of the summer against Swindon Town on Saturday.
Crystal Palace’s 2026/27 pre-season schedule
- Saturday 18th July: Crystal Palace v Swindon Town (12:30 BST)
- Saturday 25th July: Bromley v Crystal Palace (15:00 BST)
- Tuesday 28th July – Saturday, 1 August: Como Cup:
- Tuesday 28th July: Crystal Palace v RC Lens (18:00 BST) – 45-minute match
- Tuesday 28th July: Crystal Palace v FC Famalicao (19:30 BST) – 45-minute match
- Either Friday 31st July (17:00 or 19:45 BST) or Saturday, 1st August (19:00 BST): Palace v TBC – 90-minute match
- Saturday 15th August: SC Freiburg v Crystal Palace (13:00 BST)
The South American – along with players like Romain Esse, Eddie Nketiah, David Ozoh and Cheick Doucoure – are at critical junctures in their Crystal Palace careers, and need to show something for Pierre Sage to work with in our friendly games this summer.
Any reason why David Ozoh should NOT be given a chance, Palace fans? 🤔
He's already proven he can perform at this level, and that was back in 2023! 😅
If Franca – who lost his No.11 shirt in January – can shine in that position on the left flank, he has every chance of becoming a key man next season, even more so considering Pino and Johnson are yet to truly nail down that role themselves.
