Crystal Palace left much of their transfer business until deadline day, but the club can be satisfied with a summer that saw them keep both Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr, the pair who scored 37 goals between them last season, despite both wanting to leave.
Palace's recruitment was led by Matt Hobbs, Iain Moody and chairman Steve Parish, working alongside new head coach Pierre Sage, who is tasked with succeeding Oliver Glasner after also losing defenders Daniel Munoz and Maxence Lacroix.
Sarr sulked over the summer while his agent pushed for a move, having told Daily Mail Sport in June that he was keen to see his client leave. Palace stood firm, refusing to sell the forward with three years left on his contract.
Once the window shut, Sarr's agent criticised the club for not executing the "will of the player", a curious complaint given Sarr signed a five-year contract without a release clause only two years ago. Palace had no obligation to sell him, and he never submitted a formal transfer request.
Mateta, meanwhile, is expected to respond the way he did when his move to AC Milan collapsed in January, by focusing on his football once he recovers from injury.
Attacking additions
Palace also added depth by signing Dario Osorio from Danish club Midtjylland. The 22-year-old winger likes to drift inside and suits Sage's 3-4-2-1 system, having averaged a goal or assist every 180 minutes last season.
Dwight McNeil arrived in a straight swap for Brennan Johnson, whom Palace had paid £30million for in January. Club decision-makers accepted they had got the Johnson deal wrong, and the swap eased the wage bill while the club finished the window with a positive net spend to recoup some of the money lost on their former record signing.
Evann Guessand has returned on loan after impressing during the second half of last season, offering a threat from the left as back-up to Yeremy Pino, while teenager Zavier Gozo joined from Real Salt Lake and made a substitute appearance against Manchester City last week.
Where Palace had only four recognised No 10s and wingers last season, forcing midfielders Daichi Kamada and Justin Devenny to fill in, they now have eight players for those roles.
Defensive rebuild
Replacing Lacroix with Axel Disasi is a downgrade on paper. Lacroix started for France at the World Cup and is now Chelsea's first-choice centre back, while Disasi was surplus to requirements at Chelsea and is nowhere near the France squad.
Lacroix's recovery pace and physicality had held the Palace backline together and improved both Jaydee Canvot and Chris Richards. Disasi lacks the same pace but is experienced, even if prone to lapses in possession, and his loan at West Ham United in January helped them keep six clean sheets in 14 games.
Centre back remains a concern. Canvot and deadline-day signing Honest Ahanor, who joined from Atalanta, are promising but inexperienced, while Richards would have to shift into the middle if Disasi is unavailable, a position where he has looked shaky. Oscar Mingueza, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jefferson Lerma provide cover across multiple positions, though the lack of a further central defender could prove costly.
Munoz departure and midfield reinforcement
Losing Munoz to Glasner's Nottingham Forest was emotionally difficult given the rivalry between the clubs and his role in winning three trophies in two years, but the £22million sale made business sense with the 30-year-old at his peak value.
Palace made a £16million profit on Munoz over two years and have replaced him with Anan Khalaili, seen internally as a younger player with a higher ceiling. On his debut against Manchester City, Khalaili was relentless from start to finish, and the two deals were financially net zero.
Quinten Timber, an athletic ball-winner, replaces the departed Justin Devenny, who joined Stoke City permanently. Adam Wharton and Kamada have been a strong midfield pairing but have at times lacked athleticism against stronger opposition, and Timber offers Sage an alternative. Some believe his physical profile suits the Premier League, much like his brother Jurrien has shown at Arsenal, and his arrival also softens the blow of losing Kamada to the Asia Cup in the new year.
Full back upgrade and squad depth
Ben Chilwell, signed on a free transfer from Strasbourg, is viewed as an upgrade on Borna Sosa provided he stays fit. Chilwell was on loan at Palace from Chelsea when the club won the FA Cup and managed 34 games for Strasbourg last season, while Sosa, who has joined Cologne on loan, played a third of Chilwell's minutes last term.
Palace now have a 28-man squad, six of whom will need to be cut for European competition, giving Sage genuine rotation options in every position after a lack of depth hampered them last season.
Deals that got away
The window could have gone further had moves for Joel Ordonez and Malick Fofana been completed. Ordonez's medical revealed a broken metatarsal was more serious than first thought, meaning he would not have been available until later in the season, a deal Palace could revisit in January.
Fofana's move from Lyon was hijacked by Sunderland, who offered his family money Palace could not match, frustrating club sources on deadline day. Sage had wanted to sign the winger after working with him at Lyon.
Eleven players arrived this summer as six first-teamers departed, and it will take time for the squad to gel. But with a settled starting XI and cover in most positions, Palace go into the season in a stronger position than last year.
