Crystal Palace Performances Topped By 3-Way Power Struggle

Fourteen matches unbeaten, we should all now be excited by what Crystal Palace could soon achieve, led by one of the hottest coaches in Europe and with Sunderland, Millwall and West Ham up next.

Instead, we’re all left to wonder at the fallout from the summer Selhurst battle between the club owners, the club head coach and the club captain.

Talent v Money? Who Wins?

Talent wins every time … in the end.  Because Talent can walk.  And real Talent can always walk into the arms of real Money – a much bigger job for much more pay.  And that’s why Palace suffered the summer it just did.

In this case, Talent is Oliver Glasner and Marc Guehi.  Money is the Palace owners, the sporting success-starved billionaires and, most importantly, Steve Parish.  And it turns out Steve is even more Marmite than he looks.  As with Marmite, it’s either love or hate.  For Palace fans, Steve’s well Marmite right now.

Where Next?

Palace are on an unprecedented unbeaten run.  The window just closed, we still have Glasner, we still have Guehi, and this team is stretching Premier League opponents with its speed, its talents and its clever game plans. But let’s be real …. this show may soon be a memory!  This time next year, the cold shower of reality shouts loud that both the G-men will likely be gone. So ….. enjoy it while you can!

Where next is really up to Parish.  Starting from the very deep hole he’s in with the head coach, he can try to make nicey with Glasner, create a big transfer budget for the January window and somehow woo the Austrian into a new contract.

Guehi?  Not so straightforward, because it’s about love of money – and, of course, Steve’s thrill of the deal.  We can’t really cure either of those, and, it must be said, it’s these qualities, Steve’s determination and his crazy love of the Palace, that work mostly for our benefit.  Palace wouldn’t be where they are today without Parish.  It’s as simple as that.  So can we peek inside Steve’s head for a moment – just to understand the numbers he sees?

The Guehi Maths In Parish’s Head?

It was obvious over a month ago that Marc Guehi wouldn’t sign a new contract with Palace.  With only a year left on his contract, Guehi’s market value had dropped from Spurs’ January offer of £70m to the £35m Parish reportedly just agreed with Liverpool.  On the surface, perhaps it looked a clear choice…. accept £35m or keep Guehi one more season in red n blue and let him go for nothing next summer.

But it wasn’t really £35m or nothing!  To get a view of more realistic numbers, step back to the 2024 summer window.  To keep Guehi for last season, just how much did Palace really lose?  Less than £18m!

* As established international, future England captain and Parish-branded “superstar”, Guehi would normally be the best-paid player in the club.  But he’s staying with his current contract, at £44,000 per week, so we’re getting him on the cheap.  Top earners at Palace earn over £100,000 a week, making a saving of at least £2.9m a year.

The payback?  Last season, Guehi led Crystal Palace to a record points haul, a place in Europe, we’ve enjoyed 2 Wembley trophies in the last 4 months!  For so much success, the price was so modest – maybe Parish saw this could happen, so 2024 Steve took the deal.  And Guehi stayed.

But What About 2025 Steve? 

Unhelpfully Parish recently uttered: “At the end of the day, the amount of money we’ve got isn’t infinite.”  Thanks for the insight, Steve.

Perhaps surprisingly it’s Nuno who is more constructive: “Given the demanding schedule ahead and the sheer number of matches, signing players is respect to the squad for their achievements so far.”  Hmmm.

2025 Steve recently went full Marmite, though, when he said: “It’s a difficult situation.  Every club like us, and particularly if you’re in Europe, the financial rules are a lot tighter than in the Premier League.”  Some fans might agree, Steve.  But other fans really won’t.

Blaming The Rules For Not Backing Your Manager. Is That A Good Look?

Consider other English teams in Europe (like Arsenal, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, yes, I’ve washed my hands after typing that club’s name).  They all spent the summer spending their socks off while keeping their best players.  As they’ve all been doing for years.

It’s hard to believe Steve when we’re an established Premier League club, for goodness’ sake, and we’ve not spent heavily on players for 4 years.  And remember, we’d already sold one big star this window, plus a big part of £67.5m just hit the bank account!  Perhaps we needed more?  Perhaps cash is short?

Anyway, Steve’s underlying message on Guehi was:  “Players leaving on a free is not ideal.”  So what will now be the true cost of Marc Guehi leaving for free next summer?  Under £24m.

The payback?  We should now see best-yet Guehi continuing his fantastic start to this campaign by playing out of his skin, in order to catch and keep Tuchel’s eye for the World Cup next summer.  Guehi can lead Palace as we defend the FA Cup, push up the Premier League, challenge for the Carabao Cup, tour Europe in pursuit of more glory and share in our players excelling for England….. plus, Glasner told Parish he was absolutely sure that keeping the captain in place would be worth it to the club.  Especially at a net cost of less than £24m?

Perhaps, after factoring in the agents’ fees, the difference of up to £24m between keeping Guehi and letting him play for Liverpool next week was too tempting for Parish (in his mind).  In his mind, of course, is where Steve will long hear the words of his chief adviser, outstanding football coach, results catalyst and squad building expert Oliver Glasner:  “Hold onto Guehi at all costs!”

Is Anyone In For Guehi in January?

Soon after the window shut, stories started circulating that Liverpool will go for England’s centre-back in the winter window to head off the crazy auction now due in Marc Guehi’s life next summer.  Ooooh, says 2025 Steve, that will cost them.  And Liverpool know it.  To sell Guehi in January, Clickbait says Parish will expect £25m.  Factoring in savings on sell-on fees and wages, this means the loss to Palace of keeping Guehi from now until January is not a lot – it seems to be less than £5m.

Keeping in mind Glasner’s likely adverse reaction to losing Guehi in January, Steve may now be thinking it’s time to negotiate a package where Guehi signs for Liverpool in January, even for a reduced fee, and stays on loan till season’s end to captain Palace.  If Parish gets his way and Guehi does sign for Liverpool in January, a “sale and loanback” deal may be the best we can hope for.  Naturally, Guehi has the alternative option of a January pre-contract agreement with a European giant, which will at least ensure Guehi stays till May but will remove all chance of any income for the Palace.

But good luck to you, Marc.  Your talent is extremely special, and we all understand why you want to go.  For me, you are the best for England since Bobby Moore.  And every one of us admires your class and style when you left Palace last week – well, that was till Steve’s fitness class ended, so they say.

Glasner: A New Maths Problem for Steve?

Events at Palace have been non-stop twist and turn since Glasner arrived, while he just does his job.  Brilliantly,  See what’s happened since Glasner came to SE25, through Glasner’s eyes.

Parachuted in at short notice only 18 months ago to bail out a modest Premier League club struggling under the weight of Roy’s crisis.

End of season? Job Done.  Team playing Top Six football, but come summer insufficient backing from the board billionaires and millionaire.  Glasner’s window verdict was easily summed up. Too little, too late.

And our biggest star?  Sold.

Transfer spend was minus net zero.

Moving on.  First full season starts with inadequate pre-season with late incomings, making life much harder for Glasner and the players.

End of season?  Again…..Job More Than Done.  Made history!  Two trophies to bring home from Wembley. Team playing Top Six football from the first Wembley whistle with quality, intensity and passion.

Yet again insufficient backing from the board billionaires and millionaire.  Despite promises, the window verdict was:  too little, too late.  Again.

And our biggest star?  Sold.  Again.

Transfer spend was minus net zero.  Again.

Team of the 20’s?

What Does That Say To You? Fool me once……fool me twice?  It seems highly unlikely that Glasner will tolerate this.  Which would soon put us in the market for a different manager, likely with a different style of playing – and, if the club’s not careful, we’ll all be talking about more what might have been than what is.  Team of the 20’s and all that.

Additionally, Steve might be given a new maths problem.  If Glasner is unconvinced about staying beyond June and if offers start arriving sooner, should the club make this fabulous head coach honour his contract and stay until the season ends?  Or let him go so another cheque can be paid in to the bank?

When Bayern Munich came calling for Glasner 15 months ago, after all, it was reported they were ready to pay Palace a world-record fee for a manager, beating the £15m Potter package Chelsea reportedly paid Brighton 3 years ago.

2024 Steve kept Glasner in place despite Bayern.  It paid off big time.

Will 2025 Steve do the same when big clubs come calling?  As they will.

Is Your Glow Fading?

In our innocence, watching men in Palace shirts lifting the FA Cup for the first time, we imagined perhaps that the glow of winning would last a long time.  Opening the season with Liverpool, then Chelsea, Palace were twice pitted against champions newly strengthened by expensive signings beyond our dreams, while our team had none.  Even so, what Slot saw made him admit Liverpool were lucky that day as they might have been beaten sooner than penalties.

During the Community Shield second half, with football eyeballs everywhere watching English football’s showpiece curtain raiser, and again in the first half at Chelsea, Palace’s winners laid down a major statement to every other Premier League club.

Rock solid defence.  Plus, no matter how good the opponent, this Palace team can score, any time, out of nowhere.  And confidence is sky high.  Scary for the teams we face.

This no longer looks like a midtable team.  In 11 months since Forest away, this Palace team has played 25 games away from Selhurst, for no fewer than 13 wins, 9 draws, 3 defeats and two trophies.  Foundations are in place.

Somehow, even without Olise and Eze, this group of players, if led by this top-class manager, has made us feel:  yeah, we can win anything.  Why not?

Emptying Villa Park only served to underline how clever Glasner is, and how good these players can be.

We fans can be excited, if anxious.  The team has been stripped of Olise and Eze, and injuries will only emphasise the gamble this Board has taken by leaving Glasner to operate with such a small squad.

Our Shrivelling Squad

After 18 months here, Glasner’s much-prized business efficiency has meant no fewer than 17 first team squad players who were Palace when he arrived are not available this autumn.  Ten left permanently for free or a small fee, two on loan, two returned from loan to their parent clubs, and three were sold for a total of more than £150m.  Spending on just 8 (!) replacements has been around £107m.  Palace have enjoyed a paper transfer profit under Glasner of over £40m, although agents will have taken a mighty bite out of that.

For Crystal Palace, Glasner has delivered trophies never seen before and created a winning team from inherited players plus clever signings.  He’s reduced the playing staff average age.  But, after 3 windows, the club still has not once handed him a transfer budget to really build with the new faces he wants to strengthen and already formidable group.

So pity Glasner once more.  He’s spent the whole summer wondering who he would be working with this week.  No names, no certainty. And investment was less than impressive.

Now, we have just 23 outfield players, of which 6 are currently injured. And the glow honestly feels shaken.  Glasner’s first-leg face said he knew something was wrong, and many of us had that old uncomfortable feeling.  It was like an exclamation point on the Chelsea second-half performance.  Strong defence, confident possession, but no real sharp points in the attacking edge.

The match in Norway, on the other hand, told us little more than Glasner knows best.  He gave us all a lesson in two-leggery.  If you win the first game, keep a clean sheet for the second and you’re sure to go through.

The Curse of Palace 

Long-time fans know the curse well – the one that got us kicked out of Europe for nothing in 1991.  There’s been more since.  So it’s always worrying to feel the curse of Crystal Palace return, apparently alive and well.  But here we are.  The Frimpong fluke, CAS punishing the innocent, Eze’s disallowed free kick, Eze’s departure with reminders of Ian Wright, hitting two posts at home to Fredrikstad and hitting a post against Forest too.  But maybe, just maybe, our luck turned in the last minute against Forest when Jesus beat Henderson but the post saved us.  Maybe the curse departed for a while?

Matt Hobbs

Okay, we’ve talked before about Palace being No. 1 in the country for talented kids who want a pathway to the England team.  This may be confirmed by the identity of Dougie Freedman’s replacement – Matt Hobbs. Starting as Youth Scout in 2015, his Wolverhampton track record speaks loud:

For Palace, the ‘buy low, sell high’ business model makes sense.  The sale of Eze clearly demonstrates again that, for every talented young star, Palace is a proven route to the top.  But Eze’s departure also screams out that Palace is most definitely not the top. And the danger of being known as a platform for career takeoff rather than a destination for stars is that players might end up playing for themselves, rather than the team.

Christmas

We’ve been asked if the Glasner High Intensity ringtone is real, and can you buy it for Christmas?  Well, we urge the club to put it on sale.  It’s a mix of super-positive messages, a jingle-jangle of intense noises, bursts of Cup-winning commentary and the sound of the egg frying on Glasner’s head this summer as he’s observed the club’s attempts to deliver the players he wants and so badly needs.  Ask at the Club Shop!