At Crystal Palace, all eyes are now on Andoni Iraola. You will, won’t you?
The glory of Wednesday night’s euphoric Conference League win in Leipzig won’t last long for the supporters.
But for those at the heart of the club, planning for next season will accelerate almost immediately.
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The first task to be done is to appoint a new coach.
As BBC Sport revealed earlier this month, Iraola is the man Palace want to replace the outgoing Oliver Glasner, who insisted after the win in Germany that he has no plans to reverse his decision.
They have made a proposal to Spain and are waiting for his response, within which there are guarantees that he will be allowed to have a greater influence in the recruitment process.
It is understood that Palace want an answer by the end of the weekend.
The movement is ambitious. Iraola has emerged as one of the most prolific managers in European football; Bournemouth’s qualification for next season’s Europa League is an example of his fine work.
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“We’ve heard it now, we want to continue with it,” said owner Steve Parish following his victory over Rayo Vallecano.
“We have moved up and we have to try to stay there. We will have a week to celebrate and work hard in the summer.”
Palace believe they have done everything possible to convince Iraola that they can provide a platform for him to continue building his reputation.
All that remains is approval by Iraola.
If the 43-year-old refuses, the Monastery will continue to organize B.
Among the alternatives is understood to be Frank Lampard, who has key players on the Palace board.
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Getting Lampard out of his contract with Coventry presents an obvious stumbling block should Palace land a move for the Chelsea midfielder.
But there is some hope at Palace that Lampard, who is aware of the Premier League club’s interest in him, could be open to joining ahead of next season.
Kieran McKenna, Pierre Sage, Sean Dyche and Thomas Frank have also been discussed as options.
Luring Iraola to Selhurst Park would represent Palace, but the fact he has taken so long to decide has led to some skepticism within Selhurst Park as to what the Bournemouth head coach is now willing to accept.
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More will become clear in the coming days.
Who will stay, and who will go?
As ever, player retention will emerge as a key narrative in Palace’s summer.
Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi have all left the club in the last two summers but Palace are determined to avoid another major exit.
That will be easier said than done.
While Wednesday night’s win over Rayo Vallecano may help keep the players satisfied with Europa League football now secured for next season, their victory will surely attract more attention to their players.
Adam Wharton’s impressive performance in the final will boost the feeling that the midfielder will be joining a top club.
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Indeed, Liverpool and Manchester United are known to be among his fans. But Palace are in a strong position to keep Wolves at bay for at least another season as Wharton still has three years left on his contract.
Palace are open to offering Wharton an improved deal, although it is unclear whether the midfielder is willing to commit given interest from elsewhere.
Elsewhere, goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who has two years left on his current contract, is attracting interest from a number of Premier League sides and could expect a way to secure a new deal in the coming weeks.
Central defender Jaydee Canvot, who has impressed since Marc Guehi’s exit in January, is understood to be on Paris Saint-Germain’s radar.
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Jean-Phillippe Mateta’s future will also need to be resolved after his lengthy spell at AC Milan in January due to a health setback.
Mateta made it clear at the time that he saw his long-term future away from Selhurst Park and the club signed Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves in a £48million deal to deal with his expected exit.
There have been reports that Maxence Lacroix is holding out on a new contract, although Ismaila Sarr is understood to be willing to discuss renewing it.
There’s plenty to do at Selhurst Park this summer.
