Oliver Glasner's announcement that he will leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season caps one of the club's worst weeks, following a humiliating FA Cup defeat to non-league Macclesfield. The Austrian, who led Palace to their first major trophy by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final eight months ago, confirmed his exit in a press conference, having previously expressed frustration over the club's failure to reinvest the £67.5m fee from Eberechi Eze's sale.
Glasner had informed chairman Steve Parish in October of his desire to pursue a new challenge, but delayed the announcement to avoid speculation linking his departure to a lack of investment. His decision comes as captain Marc Guéhi is poised to join Manchester City for £20m, a significant drop from the £35m Liverpool offered in the summer. Glasner was instrumental in keeping Guéhi for the first half of the season, but City's defensive injuries prompted the sale.
The club now faces a critical period, with doubts over the futures of several FA Cup-winning stars. Jean-Philippe Mateta, with 18 months left on his contract, is wanted by Juventus, while Adam Wharton, Daniel Muñoz, and Daichi Kamada are attracting interest from bigger clubs. Kamada, who played under Glasner at Eintracht Frankfurt, is out of contract in the summer.
Palace's priority is appointing a new manager. Candidates include Getafe's José Bordalás, Rayo Vallecano's Iñigo Pérez, and Ipswich's Kieran McKenna, who was previously considered before Glasner's appointment. Brendan Rodgers, recently appointed at Saudi side Al-Qadsiah, could also be a contender. The club's battle with Uefa over multi-club ownership rules, which led to demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League, has added to the turmoil.
