The uncertainty surrounding Crystal Palace and the ownership situation has taken another twist after John Textor’s Luon were hit with financial punishments.
Last week, Lyon got some of the worst news imaginable when France’s financial football watchdog, the DNCG, slapped down a severe punishment.
Lyon have been provisionally relegated to Ligue 2, with debts reported to be worth up to £100m – which must be raised by the end of the season.
John Textor’s French club have also been hit with a transfer ban – making grim reading for fans of the Ligue 1 club.
To make matters more complicated, Textor is still looking to sell his 45 per cent stake in the club. While co-owners Steve Parish, David Blitzer and Josh Harris are all looking to spend in January which could force Textor to effectively put up or get out of the club.
Now, we have learned some more about the effects of Lyon’s struggles on Crystal Palace.
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How John Textor’s situation could affect Crystal Palace’s budget
Amid claims of a busy January transfer window at Selhurst Park, there is the question of how Textor’s situation will impact the Eagles.
Speaking with TBR’s finance expert Adam Williams, we were able to delve into the impact Textor’s financial situation in France could have in SE25.
“Textor’s situation at Lyon certainly won’t help Palace in the immediate term. Both his time and his dwindling resources are currently tied up with the situation in France.
“It looks they need to find about £100m before the end of the season to avoid relegation after their cavalier spending over the summer.
“Incidentally, his other big outpost in Botafogo are in the Copa Libertadores final tomorrow, so we can safely say that running Palace is bottom of his list of priorities at the moment.”
Continuing, Adam also explained what impact it could all have on Textor selling his 45 per cent stake in Crystal Palace
“Selling his stake in the club, however, is a different matter altogether. That is potentially Textor’s trump card.
“Even if he sold well below market value, he could easily plug that £100m gap at Lyon. There are then all sorts of complications with regards to his plans to publicly list Eagle Football and so on, but that would no longer be Palace’s concern.”
Finally, the January transfer window came up, as Adam explained the possible impact of Textor’s struggles.
“I’ve seen some reports that suggest his co-investors at Palace might be putting the pressure on him to sell up by January or match every pound they put into the club in the transfer window. He won’t want to do that. If you’re selling a house, you don’t want to spend money doing it up if it isn’t going to affect the fee you receive for it.
“If they could get a deal done in advance of January, it could be good news for Palace with a new investor possibly injecting more capital.
“But my instinct is that it would be very hard to get a deal over the line in that time, with a preferred buyer needing to be selected, all the finer points of a deal mapped out, and Premier League and FCA checks to satisfy.”
Steve Parish looking to help Oliver Glasner in January
So while the financials remain uncertain – one thing we can be fairly sure of is that the Eagles intend to strengthen in January.
With Crystal Palace sitting 18th in the Premier League, additions are needed in January otherwise the Eagles’ chances of relegation will only continue to rise.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 10 |
| 17 |  IpswichIpswich | 11 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 8 |
| 18 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 15 | -7 | 7 |
| 19 |  WolvesWolves | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 27 | -11 | 6 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 21 | -14 | 4 |
Crystal Palace are prioritising two positions, both a wing-back and a creative attacking player to bolster the second-worst offence in the league.
In order to ensure Crystal Palace are not troubled with relegation, the Eagles need to strengthen and it could be quite telling on the Textor situation.
