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Before Crystal Palace host Brighton this weekend, The Guardian's London football correspondent Dominic Fifield has spoken in depth about the rivalry between his boyhood club and the Seagulls; the players in red and blue whom he watched growing up, as well as those plying their trade for the Eagles now.

In his many years as a Palace fan, Fifield has seen the club go through a number of highs and lows, although it is clear nowadays that, despite the perennial threat of relegation, the SE25 outfit have never been in a better position than they are now.

The 2018/19 season is their fifth consecutive campaign in the Premier League and the big cheeses at Palace have plans to build something that will signify the success they have enjoyed in this period - so far.

Fifield said: “What they want to do is magnificent, but they will have to start on the Arthur Wait very soon after that, because it is not fit for purpose. The problem with all long-term projects is that they rely on short-term success and to buy short-term success, Palace are spending an awful lot of money.

"When you produce a player from your academy who goes into the Premier League and excels to the extent that Aaron Wan-Bissaka has, then you’ve got a £50m player and technically that would finance a chunk of the stadium rebuild. It’s a difficult balancing act but they are in a better position to redevelop Selhurst than they have ever been so it looks as though they could actually do it.”

Selling 21-year-old Wan-Bissaka is surely unthinkable for everyone at and faithful to Selhurst Park but, if Palace are to take this huge step up, the impressive right-back theoretically could be a casualty.

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As Fifield says, the temptation is there for the club to instantly make a huge profit and use that money to create something truly special - they can't sell one of their prized assets though, can they?

The youngster is surely attracting interest from some of the top clubs in Europe so there will be no shortage of suitors willing to pay what could be a record for a full-back but, indeed, it is a balancing act and Palace surely can't sell one of their best players, thus diminishing the chance of short-term success, in favour of building long-term success

After all, Wan-Bissaka is the future himself.