13 hours ago
59
Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner jokingly claimed he may have to come out of retirement to play center-back if Marc Guehi leaves the club this summer.
Guehi, 25, has been heavily linked with a summer transfer, and Liverpool and Newcastle have made inquiries for the England defender. Palace has demanded $60 million for Guehi, but Liverpool values the player closer to $47 million as he's entered the final 12 months of his contract.
Palace secured a crucial 1-0 win over Fredrikstad FK on Thursday as the Premier League club attempts to qualify for the UEFA Conference League. Palace is on the verge of losing star midfielder Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, and Glasner hinted that Guehi could also be sold before the transfer deadline.
After Thursday's victory, reporters asked Glasner to comment on the club's transfer business. Eze is close to joining Arsenal in a deal worth $90 million, but Glasner awkwardly joked that Guehi could be the next player to leave.
"If Marc [Guehi] leaves, maybe I will try my boots because I was a centre-back," Glasner said. "We have to act. It’s Crystal Palace’s future and we need to add numbers."
Glasner has made it clear that he wants to improve the squad, but the club has only made two signings this summer. Ajax defender Borna Sosa was acquired in a deal worth $2.6 million, and Palace also signed goalkeeper Walter Benitez on a free transfer from PSV.
Palace has retained its star players until now, as Eze is expected to join Arsenal this week. Palace chairman Steve Parish suggested that Guehi could be the next marquee player to leave the club and called it a "difficult situation" due to spending rules.
"If Marc Guehi wants to sign a new contract… then he can stay! It’s a difficult situation," Parish told Channel 5. "Everyone has to sell players to comply with the rules. That’s a situation that we will have to look at in the next days."
Palace risks losing Guehi on a free transfer next summer, meaning the club could be forced to cash in on the defender. However, Glasner has been keen to build on last season's success and has shown signs of displeasure with the club hierarchy.
It's been a frustrating summer for Palace off the field after a dream end to last season, which saw them beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup for the first time. In winning the competition, Palace should have qualified for the UEFA Europa League, but the club was penalized.
As shareholders also owned the French club Lyon, which qualified for the Europa League, UEFA demoted Palace to the Conference League. Palace will still need a broad squad to facilitate domestic and European games, but has neglected business until later in the window.
Glasner shared his frustrations with the lack of urgency. With Eze set to leave the club, Palace has 10 days to find a replacement. "We need to add, not numbers; it's easy to add 10 numbers," Glasner said.
"We need the right players. It’s not surprising for anyone that Ebs [Eze] left, honestly, it's not surprising. Because five days earlier, we couldn't have done anything if he leaves.
"We knew that the chances were very high that this will happen and honestly, again, I say it like it is, we missed (the chance) to replace him early enough, that's completely our fault and nobody else's fault."
English (US) ·