Crystal Palace might need to cross Jose Bordalas’ name off their list of potential Oliver Glasner successors amid comments made by the Getafe boss.
Bordalas is one of several names linked with the Palace job, and he is earning plaudits in Spain. While he shares Glasner’s focus on defensive solidity, his brand of football is extremely frustrating and wouldn’t be welcomed by fans at Selhurst Park.
Spanish outlet Fichajes reported in early January that Palace had “initiated contact to explore the possibility of him becoming their new manager.” His contract is up at the end of the season, and the relationship between the Spaniard and the La Liga club has reportedly “deteriorated throughout the season.”
No way Jose?
Bordalas isn’t a young and up-and-coming manager by any means, and he has plenty of experience. He has been in charge of Getafe since April 2024, his 16th job in first-team management.
The 61-year-old has impressed in the Coliseum Stadium and his side currently sit ninth in the La Liga table. This is his second spell with the club and he previously led them to promotion in 2016, before achieving a best-ever fifth-placed finish in the top flight in 2018-19.
Bordalas takes his troops to the Riyadh Metropolitano today (March 14th), where they face Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. He was asked about his future by AS before the game amid links to Palace:
“I don’t look to the future; I look to the present. I’m focused solely and exclusively on the match at the Metropolitano and on the team. I’m not worried about my future. Atletico is a team that always improves when it rotates its squad because the players on the bench are of the same level or even better.”
| Jose Bordalas (La Liga 2025-26) | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Games managed: | 27 |
| Wins: | 10 |
| Draws: | 5 |
| Defeats: | 12 |
| Points: | 35 |
| Points per match: | 1.30 |
Bordalas isn’t the only candidate that Palace’s board have in mind to replace Glasner. Robbie Keane is currently the favourite with the bookies, while former Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank also seems to be under consideration.
Palace’s contigency plan
Uncertainty over Glasner’s short-term future grew in January amid a disastrous spell for the team. The Austrian publicly called out the club’s recruitment after watching Marc Guehi leave for Manchester City for £20m.
Glasner remained in charge, and the tide has turned for his Eagles, who are competing in the knockout rounds of the Europa Conference League. He seems certain to see out the season before departing when his contract expires in June.
When Glasner came under immense pressure earlier this year, the higher-ups reportedly analysed potential replacements, per MailSport. Bordalas was one of them, but he wasn’t the only La Liga coach under consideration.
Rayo Vallecano’s Inigo Perez was another option to replace Glasner immediately. Wales head coach Craig Bellamy also landed on the list despite his team currently participating in the World Cup play-offs.
