Glasner Asserts He “Didn’t Need to Threaten Anyone” to Prevent Guehi’s Move to Liverpool

Crystal Palace’s head coach Oliver Glasner addressed the media in anticipation of the upcoming match against West Ham United.

The teams are set to clash for the first time since February 2017, with Palace coming off a successful campaign in the Conference League’s League Phase and a commanding 3-0 victory over Aston Villa before the international break. Glasner aims to maintain this momentum against a Sunderland side that has begun their Premier League season strongly.

What’s the situation with Guehi?

Initial questions centered around Marc Guehi’s unsuccessful £35 million transfer to Liverpool and speculations regarding a rift between Glasner and chairman Steve Parish.

“I never once threatened to resign from my position,” he stated. “In the end, the chairman asked me, ‘Oliver, do you believe we can sustain the season if we let Marc go?’ I replied honestly that we couldn’t handle that risk in the short term.”

“If we were to sell our captain, who has around 15,000 minutes of Premier League experience, and replace him with an emerging talent who has played only about 1,000 minutes, that would pose significant risks,” Glasner elaborated. “If the club is prepared to embrace that situation, then we should sell Marc. But if not, we must retain him. Ultimately, the decision was to keep him.”

Glasner clarifies his position on Guehi’s transfer

As he continued answering questions, Glasner addressed the aftermath of Guehi’s potential transfer and confirmed that no threats were necessary to secure his position at the club.

“I had no need to issue threats. There wasn’t any tension between the chairman and me. It was solely a discussion about the club’s sports direction. The chairman chose to prioritize the club’s sporting integrity over financial gain, which deserves recognition. Marc also handled the situation commendably,” he said.

“We spoke on transfer deadline day and the following day when he was already with the England squad, and he remained completely transparent. His dedication was evident when he played for England, and he remains just as committed here,” Glasner added.

“There were claims in the media that he would step down as captain, but that is not true. As long as he is here, he will continue as our captain because of his immense talent and character.”

Updates on the team

Lastly, Glasner provided updates on the team’s readiness, stating that several key players would be back for their match against league leaders Liverpool in a fortnight.

“Thankfully, all international players have returned in good health and are fit to play, so they will all be available. Those who were injured are making excellent progress,” he noted.

“Currently, it seems that Adam Wharton, Ismaila Sarr, and Eddie Nketiah will be ready to play against Liverpool in two weeks,” he confirmed. “None of them will be available for tomorrow’s match against Millwall in the EFL Cup, but Adam and Eddie could potentially play against West Ham.”

“All new signings will be included in the squad for tomorrow’s game, and there’s a strong possibility that Yeremy Pino will make his debut for Crystal Palace. He just needed some time to recover during the international break as he faced a slight injury after his last match with Villarreal, but he resumed training on Monday.”