Oliver Glasner admits “no guarantee” in keeping trio of star players at Crystal Palace

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·4 May 2024

Oliver Glasner admits “no guarantee” in keeping trio of star players at Crystal Palace

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Oliver Glasner has admitted it would be hard to keep players who are “too good for Crystal Palace” — adding that there is “no guarantee” Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze or Marc Guehi will be at the club next season.

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The Austrian insisted all the club can do is convince the trio that staying at Palace despite interest from elsewhere is the right thing for their careers from a “sports perspective.”

Manchester United are interested in a move for Olise this summer, while the Red Devils have also previously been linked with England duo Guehi and Eze.

Palace face a fight to hold on to all three ahead of their first full season under Glasner, as rival Premier League clubs could make bids for all three over the course of the summer transfer window.

Eze and Olise both signed new long-term deals this season which run until 2027, while Guehi’s contract runs to 2026.

“What we can do is show that Crystal Palace is the right place for every single player”, said Glasner.

“It’s important that the level Crystal Palace are playing fits to the level that the players are playing at — in both directions. If a player is too good for Crystal Palace, the possibility that he changes the club is high. The same the other way, if the quality of Crystal Palace is too high for a player.”

He said of the three players: “All we can do is show our ambition, show them they are very important players for us, show them from a sports perspective that we are competitive with many teams in the Premier League, that we want to improve, and that they play key parts in our system.

“But there is also no guarantee. The transfer window, when it opens, is sometimes crazy for several weeks. We are part of it and can’t stop it, but we do our job — showing them the vision, showing them how we want to play, what their role can be. We will see what happens.”

Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise have impressed for Crystal Palace

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The Austrian revealed he is heavily involved in the club’s recruitment process — headed up by sporting director Dougie Freedman, who has interest from Newcastle.

“We discuss it [transfer targets] almost every day, thinking about different situations that can happen”, he said.

“We are talking about what kinds of profiles would help us to be more successful. We discuss it. Of course, we have to be prepared for if something happens or if we think maybe this profile could improve us.”

Glasner also revealed it was Paddy McCarthy’s own decision to stay on as first-team coach within the Austrian’s coaching staff, rather than at the request of the board or Glasner himself.

“It was Paddy’s decision. We talked about it, and it was a very, very good decision that he stayed with us. I’m really happy with all his football qualities and human qualities.”