Glasner And Parish Unite As Palace Faces Chelsea Test

It’s been a whirlwind week at Selhurst Park, and the tension in south London is palpable. Crystal Palace, mired in a ten-game winless streak across all competitions, now finds itself at a crossroads—both on the pitch and in the boardroom. Manager Oliver Glasner, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, has been at the center of a storm that’s left fans, players, and club officials alike searching for answers and, perhaps, a way forward.

Glasner’s relationship with the Crystal Palace hierarchy reached a boiling point after last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Sunderland. The Austrian boss, frustrated by the timing of captain Marc Guehi’s sale to Manchester City just 24 hours before the match, didn’t mince words. “I felt we were abandoned completely,” he admitted after the loss, a statement that echoed through the football world and drew comparisons to recent managerial casualties at Manchester United and Chelsea who’d voiced similar frustrations.

The fallout was immediate. With the club’s supporters expressing their displeasure at full-time and speculation swirling about Glasner’s own future—especially with Manchester United reportedly interested—the manager’s candor put his position under the microscope. Yet, instead of doubling down or retreating, Glasner sought reconciliation. He and chairman Steve Parish sat down for a lengthy dinner, hashing out their differences and, according to both parties, emerging with a renewed sense of unity.

“Steve and I left our dinner, and really both with a big smile we said: ‘Hey, we achieved so much all together here in the last 22 months. We don’t want and we don’t accept that this ends like the last three, four, five weeks have been. We don’t accept it.’ So we stick together, we work hard all together to get an ending this season that it deserves,” Glasner explained during a press conference on Friday. The message was clear: whatever the recent turbulence, both manager and chairman are committed to steering Palace through the storm.

But what of the comments that started it all? Glasner, reflecting on his emotional outburst, didn’t back away from his words. “No, I don’t think so, but that’s Oliver Glasner,” he said when asked if he regretted his approach. “I want to be Oliver Glasner where I am. This is the most important thing. I want that I’m accepted how I am. If somebody says: ‘I don’t like this emotional guy,’ then it’s better not to sign because I think I can’t change. I’m always working to develop, but I won’t completely change.”

For Palace fans, these are not just words—they’re a window into the mindset of a manager who’s poured his heart and soul into the club. “I’m not the guy who says: ‘I don’t care what happens here, in four months I will go back to Austria and whatever.’ No, I can’t be like this and I think this is part of why I’m successful as a person and as a manager. Because for me, spending 60, 70, 80 hours a week away from my family, this must be more than a job. And it is more than a job for me.”

The sale of Marc Guehi, agreed last February after Palace rejected substantial offers from Newcastle and Tottenham, was always going to be a flashpoint. Yet, it was the timing—announcing the captain’s departure just over a day before a crucial match—that left Glasner and his squad feeling blindsided. “It’s all about timing a replacement. Crystal Palace will always sell players with big offers from other clubs but just the situation of telling the team 28 hours before a game that the captain is leaving. This is what I tried to express,” Glasner clarified.

Compounding matters, the club’s search for Guehi’s replacement has been hampered by internal upheaval. The departure of sporting director Dougie Freedman in March 2025 left a void, and while Matt Hobbs eventually stepped in, much of the £67.5 million received from Eberechi Eze’s sale to Arsenal was not reinvested into the squad. The arrival of Brennan Johnson for a club-record £35 million in January 2026 signaled intent, but the lack of further reinforcements has been a source of frustration for the manager and supporters alike.

With injuries and absences mounting, Palace’s on-field struggles have been laid bare. The shock FA Cup exit to non-league Macclesfield earlier this month only deepened the gloom. But there’s a glimmer of hope as the Eagles prepare for their next test—a London derby against Chelsea at Selhurst Park. Glasner can finally call upon Ismaila Sarr, fresh from Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph, and Daniel Munoz, who’s recovered from a knee injury. Both are expected to feature on Sunday, providing a much-needed boost to a depleted squad.

The Jean-Philippe Mateta saga has also loomed large over the club’s January window. Reports suggested the French striker was eager to leave, with Juventus and Aston Villa expressing interest. Yet, Glasner has put those rumors to bed, at least for now. “No bid has come in and he hasn’t handed in a transfer request and he will play Sunday—that’s the situation. I’ll repeat what I said two weeks ago: every player there is a price where a club, evaluating the whole situation—age, contract duration and a price—where the club says, ‘OK we agree a deal’.” For now, Mateta remains a Palace player, and unless a suitable replacement is found, he’s set to lead the line against Chelsea.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. With the club’s European ambitions hanging by a thread and the fanbase restless, Sunday’s clash with Chelsea could set the tone for the remainder of the season. Glasner, for his part, remains defiant yet hopeful. “I tell the Palace fans: ‘Stay calm, trust in the people in the club, they’re doing their best,’ and that’s what we always say when I talk to the chairman. The good thing is we all want the same for Crystal Palace, and that’s why I reacted in that way, because I still want the best for Crystal Palace.”

As January draws to a close, the atmosphere at Selhurst Park is charged with anticipation. Will Palace’s renewed unity translate to results on the pitch? Can Glasner and Parish guide the club through this challenging stretch and secure a fitting end to a tumultuous campaign? The answers will unfold over the coming weeks, but one thing is certain: the story of Crystal Palace’s season is far from over.