Oliver Glasner leaves Crystal Palace
Steve Parish gives his thoughts on Austrian’s departure
Eagles won Conference League
Steve Parish has insisted he didn’t think about the possibility of trying to persuade Oliver Glasner to change his mind about leaving Crystal Palace. The Austrian boss has ended his reign with a European trophy.
Glasner oversaw Palace’s 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in last night’s UEFA Conference League final. The Eagles have now won three major trophies under the 51-year-old.
The European triumph is the greatest achievement, and Glasner leaves as the club’s greatest manager. He holds a close bond with Parish, who appointed him back in February 2024.
“Look forward” – Parish on Glasner’s departure
Parish noted that the expectation when Glasner took over was that it wouldn’t be a lengthy reign. He told Sky Sports the morning after the Conference League win:
“No, look, I think at the beginning we knew that the journey would be a limited time. Oliver has things that he wants to do and we’re lucky that he came to our club at the time that he did. We’ve got to look forward and so has Oliver.”
Parish highlighted the legacy Glasner leaves at Selhurst Park and hopes that his replacement can build on this:
“He’ll always have a special place in the heart of Crystal Palace fans. I hope we remain friends, we get on really well. You can’t do these things unless everything functions together, and let’s hope we can put that around the new guy that comes in.”
Glasner ends his Palace tenure with a record of 53 wins and 35 defeats in 121 games. He led the South London outfit to their first-ever major trophy last season when they won the FA Cup.
The Eagles then lifted the Community Shield in this campaign’s curtain raiser before ending it with a first European trophy. It’s the best era in the club’s history and that’s thanks to the Austrian who has bid farewell.
Who next?
All eyes are now on Parish and the board as they try to find a viable successor. Their top choice appears to be Andoni Iraola, who is leaving Bournemouth when his contract is up at the end of June.
Iraola is one of three candidates reportedly on the managerial shortlist. Lens’ Pierre Sage is also under consideration amid a superb spell in charge of the French outfit.
Now that the season is over and Palace have won the Conference League, it’s time to relax. The next step is the announcement of a new manager.
