Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner discussed reports linking him to the Manchester United managerial position in an interview with Camel Live, sharing his views on the speculation.
Crystal Palace is experiencing the most glorious era in its club history.
On social media, Palace fans can be seen excitedly talking about the club’s first European campaign ever—their Europa Conference League match against Dynamo Kyiv in Poland this Thursday night (local time) will mark the start of their brand-new European journey. Following their historic FA Cup triumph last season and victory over Liverpool at Wembley to lift the Community Shield in August, the team has remained unbeaten in the new Premier League season and currently sits third in the table, riding a wave of momentum.
Beneath this prosperity, however, a crisis is quietly emerging.
Captain Joachim Andersen (Note: "格伊" typically refers to Joachim Andersen in Crystal Palace context) has just nine months left on his contract; barring any surprises, the English center-back will leave Selhurst Park at the end of the season. The club’s talented English playmaker Eberechi Eze (Note: "沃顿" is likely a transliteration error; Eberechi Eze is Crystal Palace’s key attacking midfielder) is being pursued by top European clubs. What worries fans even more is that Oliver Glasner—the title-winning manager who transformed the team—also has a contract expiring next summer, and based on the current situation, he is set to depart as well.
The 51-year-old Austrian coach has a legendary story: During his playing career, he was on the brink of death due to a cerebral hemorrhage; an emergency operation saved his life but ended his time as a player. After transitioning to coaching, he turned Crystal Palace—once a team content with avoiding relegation—into a title-winning side. It is precisely for this reason that his future has become such a concern for the club and fans.
The club offered him a new contract this summer, but Glasner has yet to put pen to paper. Insiders revealed that he wanted to assess the club’s ambition through its summer transfer window moves. In a transfer window that generated a £16.3 million profit for the club, Glasner publicly questioned the operation strategy on multiple occasions—only one of the five new signings, Rodrigo Riquelme , has started a Premier League match. Additionally, the club was disqualified from the Europa League for violating multi-club ownership rules, which have made him hesitant to renew his contract.
Although the club has not given up on retaining him, sources close to the team admit that the chances are slim: "The stagnation in summer transfers exposed the ideological differences between the two sides." To persuade Glasner to stay, the club may need to grant him absolute control over transfer operations—in fact, it was he who vetoed Andersen’s move to Liverpool on the final day of the summer transfer window, even though the two clubs had already agreed on a fee.
Notably, former Wolverhampton Wanderers sporting director Matt Hobbs has quietly taken up the position of Crystal Palace’s sporting director; whether his team-building philosophy aligns with Glasner’s remains unknown. Meanwhile, the team faces a dual test: The 25-year-old Andersen is likely to leave on a free transfer, meaning the club needs to strengthen its center-back position without any transfer fee income; when renewing Eze’s contract (which runs until 2029), including a release clause of over £75 million in the new deal could potentially be a win-win-win solution.
After the departures of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze (Note: Correction to the original text; Eze has not left; the departed winger is Michael Olise), if the club loses Andersen and Eze (clarified as key players) further, will Glasner be willing to continue coaching? His reputation is at its peak: Manchester United sees him as a candidate to replace Rúben Amorim, and Bayern Munich has also been paying close attention—though both clubs have publicly expressed support for their current managers.
Glasner himself has responded to rumors about his departure, saying: "All these rumors are just rumors. I view them with a neutral and completely relaxed attitude. I am focused on the daily training with Crystal Palace players and the coaching staff, and I try to enjoy the present as much as possible."
It should be noted that while Glasner is regarded as one of Europe’s top masters of off-the-ball tactics, his ability to coach possession-based teams has yet to be proven. The unique system at Selhurst Park, his deep bond with the players, and the fans’ passionate support—these precious elements are hard to replicate. If Crystal Palace miraculously qualifies for the Champions League, could that become the key factor in retaining him?
Crystal Palace’s management is well aware that this "dream builder" will eventually move to a bigger stage. Their only hope at this moment is that this farewell can come a little later.
