Will Crystal Palace continue their upward trajectory under Oliver Glasner next season?
Tue, Jul 30, 2024
by
CapperTek
When Crystal Palace parted ways with Roy Hodgson midway through the 2023/24 Premier League season, they were in a desolate situation. The Eagles had established themselves as a top-flight outfit for over a decade, but for the first time since their promotion from the Championship in 2013, those who bet on football knew Palace had an outside chance of relegation.
The south London outfit were stuck in a rut. While they had enjoyed spells in the top half of the table, the club were ultimately playing a dull brand of football, which frustrated fans and culminated in a thrashing at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal – the 5-0 loss being Hodgson’s last game in charge.
Over the years, Steve Parish and the Palace board have always kept their cards close to their chest when it came to recruitment. Their reluctance to sell Wilfried Zaha in 2019 cost them around £80 million, with the Ivorian leaving on a free last summer to Galatasaray. This year, however, they appointed a new manager left of field in Oliver Glasner.
The Austrian arrived at Selhurst Park ahead of the international break and hit the ground running in the Premier League. Suddenly, the Eagles were scoring goals and creating chances – earning significant results in a winning run that saw them finish the season in 10th place.
Along the way, Palace won at Anfield, derailing Liverpool’s title chances and becoming the first side to win at the hallowed ground all season, while also beating the likes of Manchester United, West Ham and Aston Villa in emphatic style.
Glasner had been one of the best-kept secrets in Europe, with his Eintracht Frankfurt side beating Rangers in the Europa League final. Palace managed to secure his services for another season at least, with Bayern Munich reportedly interested as a replacement for Thomas Tuchel.
The 49-year-old had implemented an entertaining system that got the best out of an exciting front four, spearheaded by Jean-Philippe Mateta, whose hat-trick on the final day saw the Frenchman end the season with 16 goals, the most by any Palace player in a top-flight campaign since Andrew Johnson scored 21 in the 2004/05 season.
It was a complete juxtaposition to what Eagles fans had ever expected, and their squad was rewarded with several international call-ups.
Dean Henderson, Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton and Marc Guehi were all part of England’s Euro 2024 side that reached the final in Berlin, with the latter playing an integral role alongside John Stones, while Joaquim Andersen represented Denmark.
The question this summer will now be if lighting can strike twice. However, there will be a few selection headaches and setbacks that Glasner will have to deal with.
Michael Olise traded south London for Bavaria, joining Bayern Munich as they look to re-establish themselves as the dominant force in German football. That opens the door for Eddie Nketiah to potentially join the Eagles after some initial interest in January.
The Arsenal man would join summer signings Daichi Kamada from Lazio and Real Betis defender Chadi Riad, as Glasner looks to bolster his options ahead of the new season.
Palace face a tricky start to the new campaign. Brentford away represents a challenging open day trip before West Ham and Chelsea round of an all-London affair to begin the season. If Palace can take maximum points from those games and continue the surge of momentum that they ended last term on, there is no reason why they can’t compete for a spot in one of the European places.
The £50 million inherited from Olise’s departure leaves Parish with a hole burning in his pocket, and only time will tell how that gets invested. If used wisely, it could lay the foundations for an exciting few years for Glasner and Palace.