Steve Parish will 'step back from Crystal Palace' after new arrival confirmed
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Credit: Imago/Hasan Karim - Breaking Media
Alex Oakhill
Thu 11 September 2025 13:07, UK
Steve Parish has been tipped to step back at Crystal Palace after a new CEO was hired by the club.
There has been a complete change in the hierarchy at the Eagles in the last few months, following the ownership situation that saw them kicked out of the Europa League.
John Textor was forced to sell his shares in the club to Woody Johnson after falling foul of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
Now, Crystal Palace have announced that Sharon Lacey has been appointed as the club’s new CEO, after previously holding a number of different posts with the South London side.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that this change could see Parish taking a step back from the day-to-day running of the club.
Credit: Getty Images
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Johnson may have had a word in the ear of Parish and asked him to get a more stable executive team in place.
The 60-year-old has been chairman of the South London side since 2010, as well as holding a controlling stake in the club.
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Wyness added that Parish being too involved in everything may have led to the whole controversy surrounding UEFA and the Europa League.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Sharon had previously been at Palace only six months before as COO.
“If you look at the timing, Woody Johnson coming in now as the other shareholder, he would probably have had a word with Parish and said, look, we’ve got to get a more stable executive team in place.
Let us as the board give them more instructions and support rather than actually getting involved day to day.
“If you’re involved day to day on the board, it’s too much, and it starts to cloud your judgment on the bigger decisions that often have to be made.
I think he’s got to have a bit more of a hands-off approach.”
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are reportedly planning to hold contract talks with Jean-Philippe Mateta “urgently” amid growing interest in his signature from across Europe.
Palace want to tie down Mateta (Credit Imago)
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who claims that Oliver Glasner‘s side cannot afford to lose the 28-year-old.
The Eagles are not prepared to see another key player walk away and are expected to take steps towards extending Mateta’s deal beyond its 2027 expiry date.
This comes after Football Insider revealed Crystal Palace will turn down offers for Mateta in January after also rejecting moves during the summer window.
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