- Crystal Palace face Bournemouth tomorrow (May 3)
- Oliver Glasner rules Cheick Doucoure out for rest of season
- Adam Wharton ‘in negotiations’ with Liverpool
Crystal Palace celebrated another famous European win on Thursday night after beating Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in Krakow, Poland. It was the latest memorable UEFA Conference League victory, holding similarities to the emphatic 3-0 win against Fiorentina.
Oliver Glasner won’t want his players to get too carried away, though, as they still have to finish the job at home next Thursday. Before that, he’ll be eager for the Eagles to focus on returning to ways in the Premier League.
A trip to the Vitality Stadium is next in store for Palace and they face Bournemouth. There’s an interesting subplot ensuing heading into the game.
Palace Face Iraola
Glasner will be overseeing the first of at least six remaining games when Palace take on Bournemouth. That’s, unless his side can book their place in the Conference League final in Leipzig.
The South Londoners are on the lookout for the Austrian’s successor, and at the top of their wishlist is Andoni Iraola. The Spaniard is also leaving the Cherries when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Steve Parish and his board members will surely be keeping a close eye on the game and might just want to check on Iraola. He has propelled the South Coast outfit into contention for European qualification ahead of the game.
No Doucoure
Palace will be without Cheick Doucoure, not only tomorrow, but for the rest of the season. Glasner confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the Malian midfielder won’t feature for the senior team before the campaign concludes.
It isn’t a huge surprise given his lengthy spell on the sidelines, recovering from knee surgery. He has featured occasionally for the U21’s in the Premier League 2 as part of his recovery process.
Doucoure has played his last game under Glasner and, unfortunately, won’t be able to pick up a potential Conference League winners’ medal. He similarly missed out on the FA Cup triumph last season.
Wharton to Liverpool?
Liverpool looks to be the most likely destination for Adam Wharton if the English midfielder makes a big-money move this summer. Reports claim that the Merseyside giants are ‘in negotiations’ with the 22-year-old’s camp.
Wharton has remained focused on the Eagles and helping Glasner’s side finish the season successfully. But talk over his future has been growing throughout the season.
There’s no word on how much Liverpool are willing to pay for the former Blackburn Rovers youngster. But Parish will likely want a club-record fee, given his age and the fact that he still has three years on his contract.
