Oliver Glasner has confirmed that Eberechi Eze and Marc Guéhi will both start in the first leg of Crystal Palace's Conference League playoff on Thursday, insisting the England pair remain committed to the club despite ongoing speculation about their futures. Arsenal agreed a £68m deal for Eze on Wednesday night, after the 27-year-old had looked set for Tottenham, while Liverpool are leading the race to sign Guéhi but have yet to meet Palace's £40m valuation for their captain, whose contract expires next year.
Both players started Sunday's goalless draw at Chelsea despite doubts over Eze's involvement amid negotiations with Spurs, and Glasner praised their professionalism. "I think it's also the right of a club and the duty of a player to give 100% as long as he's under contract," he said. "Many of you were surprised that Marc and Ebs started and played almost the whole game [against Chelsea]. Most of you will be surprised that they will start again tomorrow because of all the rumours, but again they are committed to the team."
Glasner stressed that the pair have contracts and remain integral while at the club. "They played a crucial part that we could be so successful and they will play a crucial part as long as they are here," he added. "When one of the players will leave, which I don't know at the moment, they want to leave as the players who always give 100% for Crystal Palace." Dean Henderson echoed that sentiment, saying the duo are "great lads" and "so committed and so professional".
Palace face Norway's cup winners Fredrikstad in their first major European match, after being demoted from the Europa League by Uefa for breaching multiclub ownership rules. Glasner, whose side won the FA Cup last season, said the disappointment of missing out on the more prestigious competition can serve as motivation. "I think if you win the FA Cup, you should be in the Europa League, but the reality is we're excited for the journey we're going to go on this season," he said.
Meanwhile, Palace are close to agreeing a deal with Leicester for Bilal El Khannouss as a potential replacement for Eze, and have also shown interest in Christos Tzolis, though Club Brugge are reluctant to sell the Greek forward. Lloyd Kelly, now at Juventus, is an option to replace Guéhi if he departs, while Glasner is keen to sign Hwang Hee-chan on loan but must wait for Wolves to secure a replacement for the South Korean.
