Crystal Palace's rollercoaster season ended in triumph as they won the Conference League, but the victory masks an uncertain future with manager Oliver Glasner departing and key players attracting interest from bigger clubs.
Parish Reflects on a Dream Come True
Chairman Steve Parish, who saved the club from administration in 2010, was emotional after Jean-Philippe Mateta's goal secured a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig. "It's incredible," Parish said. "An amazing achievement. All the ups and downs... To get to the Europa League, where we deserve to be. It just shows you: sometimes the good guys win."
The irony of captain Dean Henderson receiving the trophy from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin—under whose watch Palace were demoted from the Europa League after winning the FA Cup last year—was not lost on fans. Parish had called that ruling "the biggest injustice in the history of football." Now, Palace can look forward to Europa League football after a topsy-turvy campaign ended in glory.
Glasner's Departure and Strained Relations
Parish's relationship with Glasner soured early in the manager's first full season after a slow summer transfer window. Although Glasner led Palace to their first major trophy by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, tensions rose after Eberechi Eze was sold to Arsenal and the club failed to reinforce for Europe. The Marc Guéhi saga in August, when Glasner threatened to walk out if the defender was sold to Liverpool, brought matters to a head. Glasner informed the club in October he would not extend his contract.
After Palace were knocked out of the FA Cup by Macclesfield, the situation exploded again in January when Guéhi joined Manchester City and Glasner made his departure public. A dinner meeting at a Soho restaurant smoothed things over temporarily, but Glasner accused the club of abandoning his team after a defeat to Sunderland. Parish considered putting assistant manager Paddy McCarthy in temporary charge but instead sanctioned record signings Brennan Johnson and Jørgen Strand Larsen—neither of whom started in the final. That was too late to change Glasner's mind, but both men put aside differences for the common cause.
New Manager Search and Squad Challenges
Parish is now searching for a new manager. He expects a response from Andoni Iraola after offering the Bournemouth boss a lucrative deal. Alternatives include Coventry's Frank Lampard and Pierre Sage, who led Lens to second in Ligue 1. Whoever takes over faces the challenge of keeping a historic team together. Maxence Lacroix, Daniel Muñoz, Adam Wharton—man of the match against Rayo despite not being fully fit—and Ismaïla Sarr, the Conference League's top scorer, are all expected to attract interest from bigger clubs.
Replacing any of those players and expanding the squad for Europa League demands will be difficult. Reports indicate that Bovis, the company contracted to build the new main stand at Selhurst Park—first proposed in 2016—is no longer working on the project. Delays have hampered Parish's plans. Woody Johnson bought Textor's 43% stake last year after the Uefa ruling, and the New York Jets owner helped fund the purchases of Strand Larsen and Johnson. His backing will be crucial if Parish is to build on Glasner's foundations.
