Oliver Glasner insists Marc Guehi has to stay at Crystal Palace for at least their Conference League play-off second leg but chairman Steve Parish says letting players leave for free is “not ideal”.
Liverpool are interested in signing Guehi, who has entered the final year of his contract, while Palace are also set to lose Eberechi Eze to Arsenal after a deal was agreed on Wednesday.
Guehi started and captained Palace to a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their Conference League tie against Fredrikstad on Thursday night, but the registration deadline has since passed, meaning no new signings can feature in the second leg next week.
Glasner joked he is considering filling in at centre-back if Guehi were to leave before the match on August 28, four days before the window closes on September 1, amid his concerns over the lack of depth in his squad.
“We are very, very late. It’s 10 days to go [until the transfer window closes] to find the right replacements,” said Glasner. “I think we could have done much better than we did. It’s no criticism, it’s just telling facts.
“Today, we had 17 on-field players available. One from the academy, two players we already told that they should leave the club. So that means we’re with 14 and having six games from the 10th of August until the 31st.
“This group, I know we can rely on them. I trust them completely. But it’s really not the best way you should start into the season. With the results, third game, no defeat, that’s all good. But I think we are below the edge.
“I just know if Marc leaves and is not available for Frederikstad, we will have big troubles. That’s pretty clear. We can’t register anyone. So from my side, he has to stay.
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Eberechi Eze was spotted leaving Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace’s match against Fredrikstad.
“We played with Jeff Lerma in the back today. He’s a midfield player. We have no centre-back available at the moment. If Marc leaves, I will try my boots because I was a centre-back, and this could be a good option. I will think about it.”
But in contrast, Parish said: “If Marc wants to sign a contract, then he can stay!
“It is a difficult situation. If you are in Europe, the financial rules are a lot tighter than in the Premier League.
“Players leaving on a free is not ideal. We will have to look at it over the next 11 days.”
‘Not replacing Eze sooner is our fault’
Glasner also hit out at Palace over not replacing Eze sooner.
“I can’t do anything. I can’t sign the players. I can’t sign a player’s contract. So we have to act. We need this. This is Crystal Palace’s future,” he said.
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Oliver Glasner confirms that Eberechi Eze will not play for Crystal Palace again
“We need to add not numbers. It’s easy to add 10 numbers. We need the right players. The profile is defined for months. It’s not surprising for everyone that Ebs left. Honestly, it’s not surprising.
“Five days earlier, we couldn’t have done anything if he leaves. We knew that the chance was very high that this would happen. Honestly, and I say it like it is, we missed replacing him early enough. That’s completely our fault and nobody else’s fault.”
‘We will look to get the quality we can’
On Eze’s departure, Parish added: “We have to move past it. He has been fantastic for us and we are pleased he will go on to fulfill his ambitions.
“We have to find other players to support the team and Oliver Glasner. We will bring in players, it is about finding the right players.
“I don’t think Oliver wants too many, I think it is the right number. It is about getting the balance right, we are a bit thin anyway. We are working on what we are working on and will look to get the quality we can.
“We are very lucky with Oliver because he is very involved, he is a very data-driven manager. He is very specific about what he wants.”
In
Walter Benitez – PSV Eindhoven, free
Borna Sosa – Ajax, £3m
Out
Rob Holding – Colorado Rapids, free
Joel Ward – released
Jeffrey Schlupp – Norwich, free
Louie Moulden – released
Owen Goodman – Huddersfield, loan
Joe Whitworth – Exeter, loan
Danny Imray – Blackpool, loan
David Ozoh – Derby, loan
Malcolm Ebiowei – Blackpool, undisclosed
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games this season
215 live premier league matches up from 128 this season on Sky Sports
This season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
