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Oliver Glasner has set the record straight on what happened behind the scenes at Crystal Palace following Marc Guehi’s failed move to Liverpool on transfer deadline day.
The defender looked set on a move to Merseyside and had even begun his medical ahead of a switch to Anfield last week, only for the transfer to collapse at the last minute. Igor Julio’s decision to choose West Ham United over Palace meant the Eagles were unable to line up a replacement and felt losing Guehi was too great a risk.
That news was followed by reports that Glasner was so livid with the decision to potentially sell Guehi that he had threatened to resign. However, speaking for the first time since the events of deadline day, Glasner was keen to explain exactly what transpired.
“The Crystal Palace fans deserve to hear how it really was. So many things were written and told,” he said during Friday’s press conference. “Number one: I never threatened to leave the club. Never.
“The second thing, at the end of many discussions, it was the chairman who asked me: ‘Oliver, do you think we can manage this season when we sell Marc?’.
“I said: ‘Steve, honestly, I think we can’t manage it in the short term if we buy a 19-year-old fantastic player [Jaydee Canvot] who has about 1,000 minutes in Ligue 1, and selling our captain who has 50,000 minutes in the Premier League.
“Then we have three center-backs. With our schedule, and if we have an injury in the back three I think it is very risky.
“If you want this scenery and this scenario for Crystal Palace and you are fine with it, sell Marc. If you don’t want this for Crystal Palace, you have to keep him.
“Then he decided we keep him, so big credit to the chairman. I didn’t have to threaten anyone; there was no tension between the chairman and myself. It was really just a discussion about sports.
"He decided against the money and for the sporting perspective of Crystal Palace.
“So, big credit to the chairman and big credit to Marc, who handled it very well. We spoke on deadline day and after deadline day, when he was already in the England camp. They were very honest talks, like before.”
While Guehi is understood to be extremely disappointed by the failed transfer to Liverpool, Glasner also said there is no truth in reports the 25-year-old was planning to quit as Palace captain.
“He will be our captain as long as he is here because he is a great player a great personality. So much noise and the truth is what I told you now. I think Crystal Palace fans deserve to know it and that is how it is.”
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