Oliver Glasner has confirmed he will depart Crystal Palace at the conclusion of the season, having informed chairman Steve Parish back in October that he was seeking “a new challenge”, while also revealing that captain Marc Guéhi is close to completing a move to Manchester City.
The Austrian coach, who guided Palace to their first major honour with last season’s FA Cup triumph, is out of contract in the summer and has been heavily linked with Manchester United in recent weeks.
Glasner had stated last week that further discussions with Parish were planned to clarify his future, but ahead of Palace’s trip to Sunderland on Saturday he disclosed that his exit had already been decided.
“A decision has already been taken, months ago,” said Glasner.
“I had a meeting with Steve in October, the international break. We had a very long talk, and I told him I will not sign a new contract. We agreed at the time it was best to keep it between us. It’s the best that we could do that and keep it confidential for three months. But now it’s important to have clarity, and we had a very busy schedule so that’s why we didn’t want to talk about it. Steve and I want the best for Crystal Palace.”
He also confirmed that Guéhi would not be included in the travelling squad to the north-east, with City moving closer to securing the England defender’s signature. He said: “My latest understanding is that a deal with Marc is in the final stages. I can’t confirm a club, because it’s still not done but it’s in the final stages. The result is that Marc doesn’t play tomorrow for us.”
Glasner, who lifted the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, has not hidden his frustration with Palace’s squad during the club’s maiden European adventure in the Conference League.
The 51-year-old had hinted before last week’s embarrassing FA Cup defeat to Macclesfield that his future could be elsewhere, stressing that nothing in the transfer window would influence his decision on whether to stay. He reiterated on Friday that his relationship with Parish remains positive.
“We have a great relationship and we’re always talking about what is best for Crystal Palace,” he said.
He added: “I haven’t spoken to any other club, I told the players that and promised them today I will give my best to give the best season in Crystal Palace history, the best points tally in history. We are now four points better off than we were at this stage of the season and we will do everything to bring another trophy back to Selhurst Park. We had the Conference League draw today, we will play Zrinjski Mostar from Bosnia [and Herzegovina] in the playoff draw and I had a look at the draw tree – it’ll be quite interesting who we could play in our section.”
Palace are believed to have already begun the search for Glasner’s successor, with Getafe boss José Bordalás, Rayo Vallecano’s Iñigo Pérez and Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna among those potentially under consideration. McKenna had previously been on the shortlist when Roy Hodgson left Selhurst Park in February 2024, prior to Glasner’s appointment.