Crystal Palace defy player and reject transfer offer as club chiefs heed Oliver Glasner's brutal criticism
Crystal Palace are said to have taken a firmer stance over what could be their second sale of the window.
Crystal Palace may finally have heeded Oliver Glasner’s warning after the Austrian sent a clear message to the club’s decision-makers over the weekend. The Eagles continued their slide down the table with a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland on Saturday, and Glasner was not a happy man after the game.
The Palace boss was told a day before the game that Marc Guehi would be sold, and the departures may not end there, with Jean-Philippe Mateta also in line for a possible exit.
Glasner also confirmed last week that he will be leaving at the end of this season, and all that has radically changed the perception around Palace. The Eagles were one of the stars of the Premier League after winning the FA Cup last season, securing European qualification then starting this season with an unrivalled unbeaten run.
Fast-forward a couple of months, Palace are searching for a new manager ahead of the summer, need a new centre-back and captain, and most likely need a new striker, whether that is this month or in the summer.
That’s because Mateta looks as though he will be on the move at some point in the near future. Juventus have been pushing for a deal this month, with the striker even agreeing to make the move, according to CalcioMercato, but Palace are said to have said no.
The report claims Juventus have offered £1,7million as a loan fee and a pre-agreed conditional purchase worth £24.2million at the end of the season. Those conditions are likely to be appearance-based.
Mateta only has around 18 months remaining on his Palace contract, so the London club may be forced to sell at some point, but they certainly don’t need to consider a loan deal, especially when receiving £20million more than they thought for Guehi.
It would be wise for the Eagles to tell Juve to pay upfront or look elsewhere, and that will likely be the case unless there is a concrete obligation to buy offered. And even then, Palace would have to find a replacement striker without having the money upfront to do so. That would be a tricky proposition in the usually expensive January transfer window.
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