Oliver Glasner has slammed Crystal Palace’s hierarchy after it was revealed captain Marc Guehi would be sold the day before the game at Sunderland.
In an explosive pre-match press conference, manager Glasner said Guehi will not appear at the Stadium of Light as he plans to leave the club. He is set to move to Manchester City, with a £20 million transfer fee approaching.
The Austrian then added that his contract at Selhurst Park would not be renewed and he intended to leave at the end of the season. He said he wanted a “new challenge”, but his comments after the 2-1 defeat at Sunderland revealed the problem may be deeper-rooted than previously thought.
Glasner said he was informed of Guehi’s departure at 10:30 a.m. Friday, although he was not substituted during the Premier League loss and the Eagles are now winless in 10 games in all competitions.
“I think the players gave their all,” he told Sky Sports. “We didn’t make any substitutions. Look at the bench. There are just kids on there.”
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In Sunderland’s pre-match press conference, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner provided an update on the future of captain Marc Guehi.
“I feel completely abandoned. I don’t understand why they would sell the captain the day before the game.
“We are preparing and we were told yesterday (Friday) that our captain is being sold, so why isn’t he released next week? At least he will be available for this game and the other players will be back next week. It’s really upsetting.”
“If your heart is torn out twice a year, the day before the summer game it’s (Eberechi) Eze and the day before the game it’s the captain – I just don’t understand it.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Sunderland and Crystal Palace
“I’ve been playing football for 30 years and I’ve never experienced something like this. Now it happens twice every six or seven months. That’s exactly the situation we’re in right now.”
“We have been playing in recent weeks with just 12 or 13 players in the squad, some of whom are already playing their 35th game.
“We played well here for 50 or 60 minutes, but in the 15 or 20 minutes we were under pressure and conceded a goal. The players gave their best, but once again we didn’t have any support from the bench and that was very tough.”
“The players fought with their hearts on the pitch. It’s not easy to play here and despite everything the team has done very well. But again, we don’t feel supported.”
“Yesterday at 10:30 a.m., I first heard that Mark was being sold. I think the negotiations lasted a few days, so no one called at 10 a.m., and by 10:30 a.m. everything was agreed.”
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Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has revealed he will leave the club at the end of the season after refusing to sign a new contract.
“Then we have to deal with it. You have to come to Sunderland the day before the game when you know we are not in our best form. We are aware of the situation where we are without players and we are going to sell our captain.”
“No team would do something like this. On other teams, players play and the next day they’re gone, and we sell them the day before?”
When asked if he plans to watch the season through to the end, Glassner replied defiantly: “I don’t know. I’ve always had a tremendous amount of gratitude for this group of players.”
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Paul Merson questions the timing of Oliver Glasner’s announcement that he will leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season
“I have complete confidence in them. Their character is extraordinary and we will come together and change direction. I will never back down because these players deserve Oliver Glasner to be their coach and leader, and this is what I will do.”
“Sometimes a little support helps.”
“I have to protect the players. It could be myself, it could be another manager, I don’t care.”
Glasner continued his rant in the post-Sunderland press conference, further explaining how the hierarchy appears to be approaching Crystal Palace’s season.
“For me it’s like, ‘We’ve got enough points so we won’t be relegated and that’s fine.’ But the players aren’t happy with this, they’re not happy with it, and that makes tonight difficult.”
“I don’t know if it’s OK for Crystal Palace to finish the season like this with Oliver Glasner and another manager, but I don’t care, but if they’re OK with this, then OK, they can do that.
“If they want to have a more successful season…for me it’s like, ‘If we get all the players back, we’ll be fine, we’ll get 42 points, that’s fine,’ but that’s not how we play. That’s just how I feel.”
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Tim Sherwood believes Oliver Glassner’s decision to attack Crystal Palace’s ranks is an act of “self-preservation”.
“To protect them, I have to say it publicly. There’s no point in saying it behind closed doors.”
Glassner also hinted that his comments were a final roll of the dice to improve his team’s situation, adding: “This is probably a last attempt to get what needs to be done. Not for Oliver Glassner, but for Crystal Palace.”
“The best four players before we arrived, (Michael) Olise, (Eberechi) Eze, and the two centre-backs, (Joachim) Andersen and (Marc) Gehi, are gone. It’s tough for any club.”
“And if you think, ‘Okay, we sold last year and they did it, they had a great season, won the FA Cup, everything was good, we can keep going’ and then you’ll get your due.
“Oliver Glasner won’t pick up the bill, but Crystal Palace will. If you’re okay with that, go ahead.”
Sherwood: Glassner wants to quit now.
Tim Sherwood speaks on Soccer Saturday:
“When a coach says he’s leaving the team, how does that feel for the team? It works both ways. It’s self-preservation. Now they’re losing the game.”
“When he takes the Palace job, he knows what he’s going to do: develop players and market them. That’s a club that sells.”
“He wants to leave the club as soon as possible. He wants to leave the club and he wants to leave now.”
