Having started the season in a mode of continuity - following much upheaval when Roy Hodgson departed a year earlier, alongside several experienced players - once again Crystal Palace must deal with some major issues in terms of personnel.
After spending his eighth full season at Selhurst Park across two spells, Wilfried Zaha's contract expires this summer - bringing familiar conjecture about where the mercurial winger's future will lie.
A big-money move to Saudi Arabia has been touted, but Zaha is understood to have rejected those riches - although the likes of Paris Saint-Germain are among the clubs still interested in him.
Signing both the Ivorian and Hodgson on new deals would represent a desire to continue where they left off at the end of 2022-23, but will chairman Steve Parish instead decide to make a clean break? That would be a risky manoeuvre.
Whether their beloved boss stays or not, Palace now have a model in place for a future filled with attacking, proactive play - but bringing in a goalscoring striker could make all the difference in their push for an elusive top-10 finish.
Filling the void left by Conor Gallagher's departure last year has proved difficult, too, so the arrival of another midfielder with such energy and commitment would not go amiss.
It has been confirmed that club captain Luka Milivojevic and vice-captain James McArthur will depart at the end of their contracts, so some more experienced heads in the dressing room may also be a sound investment, given the relatively low average age of the squad.
Undoubtedly, retaining both Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi - the rock on which their free-flowing football is built - will be crucial as well, with vultures beginning to glide above the Eagles' defensive duo.
Jonathan O'Shea
