Outgoing Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has said his team feels “completely abandoned” following the defeat to Sunderland and the news that captain Marc Guéhi is on the verge of joining Manchester City.
The defeat completes a disastrous week for the club, with Glasner announcing in a press conference that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, and captain Guéhi leaving mid-season.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light extended Palace’s winless run to 10 games in all competitions.
“I think the players gave everything they could. We saw that we didn’t make substitutions. Look at the bench, there are only children in our attack,” a visibly frustrated Glasner told Sky Sports after the defeat against Sunderland.
“We are preparing and yesterday they told me that our captain would be sold. So why not next week so we can play at least this game? Next week other players will return and that makes me very angry today.”
When asked if behind-the-scenes uncertainty has been the story of Palace’s season, Glasner made reference to Eberechi Eze’s abrupt move to Arsenal in the summer.
“I feel again if your heart is ripped out twice a year. And with Eze, a day before a game in the summer and your captain a day before a game. I just don’t understand it.”
Sources told ESPN that Guéhi will undergo a medical on Sunday, after Palace and City agreed a deal worth an initial £20 million ($27 million), and Glasner said he was taken by surprise to discover the transfer was happening.
“I’ve been in football for over 30 years. I’ve never experienced this, not once and now it’s happening twice in six or seven months. And I think that’s where we are now. And we’re playing for weeks with 12 certain players on our team.”
“I heard yesterday at 10:30, I heard for the first time that we were selling Marc. And I think the negotiations lasted a few days, so no one could have called at 10.
“And at 10:30 everything was agreed. And then we have to deal with it. A day before the Sunderland game, we know that we are not on the best run. We know all the circumstances. We have no players available. We are selling our captain. We have no understanding. I don’t know. No team would do this. I have seen players from other teams play and then the next day they leave. So we are selling the day before.”
Although in a notable press conference on Friday, Glasner stated that he would leave at the end of the season, he cast doubt on his short-term future when asked if decision-making by the club could lead to his departure.
– Guéhi will complete the eleven of Manchester City’s new signing, valued at almost 500 million euros
“I don’t know [if I will see this season out]. So, as I mentioned now, I will greatly appreciate this group of players who I trust completely and whose character is exceptional. And so we will stay united. We will stand together and make this change.
“So I will never take a step back because these players deserve Oliver Glasner as their coach and their leader and this is what I will do. But again, sometimes it would be helpful to have a little support.”
Palace’s defeat on Saturday extended their winless run to 10 games in all competitions and left them 13th in the Premier League table.