‘It has given the impression that it is a club in crisis.’ Pundits and Palace supporters respond to the news of captain Marc Guehi’s transfer and the departure of the FA Cup-winning manager
Could things get any worse for Crystal Palace after the devastating double hammer blow of manager Oliver Glasner’s announcements yesterday?
Who’s next: Palace’s contract talks with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta were reported to have ‘stalled’ last month
“Where Eagles despair,” tweeted top football bloke Henry Winter yesterday, summing up in three words the feelings of many Palace fans.
Today’s 3pm kick-off in the Premier League at Sunderland could provide some indication of how well the Palace players react to Glasner’s news that he will be leaving in the summer.
Palace go into the match having not won a game in nine, including last week’s humbling at non-league Macclesfield, their first, and last (for a while, at least) FA Cup fixture as holders.
Today’s game will be played with the club captain Marc Guehi not in the squad (he’s off to City in a big-money, for him, deal), and there’s transfer window speculation that star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta could be close to a deal taking him to Italian giants Juventus.
Who could be next?
There’s even some social media gossip that the club’s £20million state-of-the-art academy training ground in Beckenham, opened in 2021, might be open to offers. The footballing plutocrats at Chelsea have been said to be sniffing around.
Winter offered these wise words last night: “Drift is the danger for Crystal Palace now following Oliver Glasner’s announcement. Yes, it’s good that there is some clarity, his future is decided, and there will not be endless speculation about whether he’s going to sign a new contract. Glad it’s all over? Except…”
Winter outlined five pointers to problems:
Speculation over Glasner’s future (the Austrian said yesterday he had not had talks with any other club; mind you, that doesn’t rule out his agent or advisers having had such talks);
the problems of a demotivated squad now their cup-winning gaffer is on his way out (see Sunderland today, for example);
who picks the new captain?;
how will fans react?;
and how yesterday’s announcement risks persuading other players to seek a move away before the close of the January transfer window.
“Palace aren’t at risk of relegation,” Winter wrote, “they’re 14 points above the trap-door, but they must beware their season fizzling out. They need the remaining senior players to rally the squad and the support.”
Glory, glory, Guehi: Palace’s skipper seems to have played his last game for the club
The sense of shock about the announcement was displayed on the Crystal Palace club website.
Or rather, it was not displayed: the routine report from the manager’s press conference referred only to groin strains and niggles. The big news was left unmentioned, as if it never happened. Or that the club hierarchy had hoped it might not have happened in this manner.
Some of the coverage reported Glasner’s disquiet, aired in the summer right after the wonder day at Wembley, of the club’s transfer policy not reflecting his ambitions, nor recruiting the calibre and number of players needed to pursue a season in European competition.
It would be wrong to overlook in all of this the massive significance of the departure, announced 10 months ago, of Dougie Freedman as sporting director. Freedman’s credentials in the transfer market have been on every Palace teamsheet for the past few years: Eze and Olise, Guehi and Wharton, Mateta, Munoz and Henderson…
Matt Woosnam, the former fanzine writer who works as Palace correspondent for The Athletic, described yesterday’s events thus: “It has given the impression that it is a club in crisis.”
Woosnam added: “This is not the way they would have wanted this glorious chapter to end.”
Bruce Millington, the former Editor of the Racing Post but, more importantly, a lifelong Eagles fan, nut-shelled the situation very well: “Not saying we will, but if we do lose to Sunderland and Chelsea, everyone will get very jumpy and I’d say Glasner will be gone in no time.”
Scouring the interweb for further fan reaction to the Glasner/Guehi news last night, there was little other than huge respect and gratitude for both manager and player. And some of the expected dark humour, too, of course.
Moody blues: former sports editor of Croydon freesheet had a bad afternoon yesterday
Guehi was described by one Twitterer as, “A man of respect, dignity and class. He held himself to a standard that anyone who ever has the privilege to wear our shirt should follow. A south London boy and captain on our greatest day.”
While another social media post summarised the position thus: “Supporting Crystal Palace has been like dating a 10/10 for seven months.
“This week is the part where you find out she’s cheated on you.
“Deep down, you knew… it couldn’t last forever, but it’s still gutting when reality sets in.”
Read more: Guehi signs for City as Glasner confirms own exit from Palace
Read more: A dream becomes reality: Wembley shook and it was beautiful
Read more: We’re South London and very, very proud of our FA Cup team
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