Palace's bid to keep Glasner and the signings they could make
It is crunch time for Crystal Palace.After an incredible 2025 where the Eagles won the first trophy in their 120-year history, then the Community Shield, then went on a club-record run and then qualified for the Conference League knockout stages in their first foray into Europe, the mood has been slightly dampened.It's now six without a win in all competitions, after a 1-1 draw with Fulham to start 2026 following three successive Premier League defeats to end 2025.Palace’s small squad is full of tired legs, with just 14 senior outfield players available for the clash against the Cottagers after a gruelling first half of the campaign that has already seen them play 31 times.Not used to the rigours of two or three games a week, they are struggling. Albeit this is a challenge that hasn’t been helped by Glasner’s reluctance to rotate and his lack of trust in fringe players such as Romain Esse and Christantus Uche.If Palace are to achieve their goals this season, January reinforcements will be key. That will not only be crucial for numbers, but it will also reduce the reliance on certain players and keep them on their toes. Oliver Glasner delivered the first two trophies in Crystal Palace's history - and time may be running out for the club to back him with reinforcements After an incredible 2025 where the Eagles won the first trophy in their 120-year history, the mood has been slightly dampened The FA Cup triumph was backed up with a penalty shootout win over Liverpool in the Community ShieldRight now, with a lack of depth, some individuals are being forced to play week-in-week-out despite a dip in form. This includes Yeremy Pino and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has been managing a knee issue, but made a welcome return to the scoresheet against Fulham.Glasner is confident new arrivals will come, saying after their 2-2 home draw with Finnish champions KuPS before Christmas: ‘I’m pretty sure we will have one or two signings in January. The club is working really hard to get these deals done.’The Austrian, whose silverware gives him significant power and leverage, has been strong in his calls for reinforcements over recent months. Palace’s situation hasn’t been helped by the injuries suffered by Daniel Munoz, Chris Richards, Will Hughes and Daichi Kamada, along with Ismaila Sarr’s absence at AFCON - shortly after recovering from his own injury - putting a wafer-thin squad at close to breaking point.The uncertainty around transfers is compounded by Glasner’s future. The Austrian is out of contract at the end of the campaign and yet to commit his future.Daily Mail Sport understands Glasner is admired by top clubs in Europe and although he has insisted Palace’s hectic run has put talks over his future on hold, there are increasing noises this will be his last season at Selhurst Park.‘There's no time,’ he said when asked about his contract situation early in December. ‘Believe me, I'm never thinking about my future right at the moment. It's not important right now.‘I know there are so many rumours. But I don't know how many clubs I managed in the last three months and I'm still sitting here. As soon as we take a decision, number one, the players will hear it, and, number two, (the media) will hear it.’ Palace’s situation hasn’t been helped by the injuries suffered by the likes of Daniel Munoz (left) Ismaila Sarr is one of their most dangerous attackers but is now at the Africa Cup of Nations for an extended period Glasner (right) has a glowing reputation on the continent from his days with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he won the Europa League in 2022Clubs who might be looking for a new manager sooner rather than later include Chelsea, Tottenham and perhaps even Manchester United, while Glasner has a glowing reputation on the continent from his days with Eintracht Frankfurt. The Austrian has not been afraid to express his frustration with the club’s lack of signings. In the summer, he hit out at Palace’s hierarchy and even threatened to play himself at centre back during the latter throes of the window if Marc Guehi was sold.He then accused his bosses of failing to invest suitably after his side’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester United in November. It may be too late to convince the 51-year-old, who also left Frankfurt in 2023 after growing frustrated by the club’s lack of transfer activity, that Palace can match his ambitions, but a positive window could shift the dial.Nevertheless, contingency plans are being drawn up, and names to have been thrown into the mix include Rayo Vallecano’s Inigo Perez, Getafe boss Jose Bordalas and Wales head coach Craig Bellamy.Strasbourg's ex-Hull City boss Liam Rosenior was also muted, but that always felt unlikely, and has since been halted by his likely move to Chelsea, his current employers' parent club. Bellamy's future is likely to be tied to whether (and how far) he leads Wales at next summer’s World Cup.Palace have not given up hope of keeping the Austrian however, and they are set for a busy January to not only help boost their squad, but to appease Glasner and show they can match his ambition. Before the window opened Daily Mail Sport understood that transfer targets were being lined up in a variety of positions, including ready-made attackers who fit into Palace’s system like Brennan Johnson, who has joined in a £35million deal from Spurs. The Eagles have consistently been guilty of wastefulness this season. Their tally of 22 goals from an xG of 31.5 is the Premier League’s biggest underperformance.‘We are the team that are constantly underperforming in scoring goals when we create a lot, but nobody does it on purpose. We need to get this fixed,’ Glasner said after the 1-0 defeat by Tottenham last week. ‘It's not that we don't create the chances, we just miss them right now. The closer we get to the goal, the more nervous we look and the more wrong decisions we make.’ Rayo Vallecano boss Inigo Perez is one of the names being floated if Glasner does leave Getafe manager Jose Bordalas is also in the discussionPalace wanted a No 10 with a similar profile to Pino, a criteria Johnson should fit. The Spaniard played on the wing for Villarreal last season, but he has mainly slotted in as the left-sided No 10 for Glasner, with his dribbling and directness seen as among his biggest strengths.Oscar Bobb was of interest before Johnson's signing, but he is also liked by Fulham, Spurs and Borussia Dortmund – and the Norwegian was always expected to go elsewhere if he does leave Man City.Palace want a right wing-back to ease the load on the dynamic Munoz, who is out with a knee injury and not expected to return until mid-January at the earliest. The Colombian had started every game of the season until he suffered the problem. Bayern Munich's Sacha Boey is on their list.Munoz was understood to be fatigued and although Nathaniel Clyne has done fine in his absence - and impressed against Fulham - the 34-year-old is an inferior player. With Sarr at AFCON, Palace’s right-hand side, so crucial to their style, has been decimated.Club captain Guehi is expected to stay until the end of his contract this summer, but the Eagles will move for a left-sided centre back if he does leave this month for whatever reason.Central defence is an area that has had a heavy workload, with Guehi having already made 29 appearances in 2025-26, while Maxence Lacroix has played every minute of the campaign bar the 90 against KuPS when Glasner made 11 changes.Although unlikely, Palace could sign a centre back this month to bolster the squad and give them time to bed in ahead of Guehi’s summer exit.Elsewhere, Palace may look to bring in a central midfielder with Kamada likely to miss 10 weeks with the hamstring injury he suffered against Man City. last month. Wolves’ Joao Gomes and Kevin Danois of Auxerre are two names that have been floated. Club captain Marc Guehi is expected to stay until the end of his contract this summer Auxerre youngster Kevin Danois is an option if Palace dip into the midfield market this monthA move for a striker has not been ruled out too, with Mateta’s recent struggles compounded with Glasner’s reluctance to trust Uche and Eddie Nketiah’s limited impact in recent weeks, while the latter is now also injured.A long-term replacement for Mateta may be needed anyway, with the French international believed to be increasingly unlikely to sign a new deal ahead of his contract expiring in the summer of 2027. He is undoubtedly at his peak, but has frustrated fans with poor finishing.It is understood Palace are willing to rival West Ham for Jorgen Strand Larsen at Wolves, for whom relegation is inevitable.The fact the Black Country outfit rejected a £60m bid for the Norwegian in the summer from Newcastle may also prove to be a stumbling block, though his value has surely dropped after a poor first half of the season. Raheem Sterling could be a last resort in attack if the club fails to sign other targets.There are not expected to be major outgoings, although several key players will likely attract interest at the end of the season, including Adam Wharton, as Chelsea and Liverpool remain in the mix for the England midfielder.Unwanted midfielder Naouirou Ahamada, whose last appearance came in May 2024, is able to depart in January if a club comes forward, while Esse may go out on loan.It should be noted Palace’s signings have often struggled to immediately settle under Glasner given the demands of his 3-4-2-1 system, meaning patience may be needed with whoever arrives. This won’t be helped by the limited training time they have had amid the hectic schedule, although that should slightly ease after their FA Cup tie at Macclesfield next week. Jean-Philippe Mateta (centre) is undoubtedly at his peak, but has frustrated fans in recent weeks with poor finishing Jorgen Strand Larsen of Wolves is on Palace's list, but will he be up for sale? The Eagles need some signings to give a boost to the squad and fanbase, and to help ensure that they don’t waste a golden opportunity with arguably the best manager in the club’s historyWhatever happens, it promises to be an intriguing month at Selhurst Park, and their work in the market could have a direct impact on Glasner’s future. He even rowed back on some of his comments after the draw with Fulham, admitting that he did not quite grasp the burden the club were fighting under.Yet, despite the recent frustrations at Selhurst Park, it is easy to forget Palace are enjoying some of the best times in the club’s history.They are three points off the top five and a potential Champions League place, start their FA Cup defence in a couple of weeks and are still the bookies' favourites to win the Conference League.The Eagles just need some signings to give a boost to the squad and fanbase, and to help ensure that they don’t waste a golden opportunity with arguably the best manager in the club’s history. The arrival of Johnson is a good start.
