Oliver

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner was left frustrated after his side’s defeat by Sunderland, saying the clubs board are “abandoning'” them and that he has “always kept his mouth” but no longer can because he wants to “defend his players”.

He adds that the team has had its “heart tore out” twice in the day before a game this season with Eberechi Eze’s move to Arsenal in the summer and captain Marc Guehi’s proposed move to Manchester City in the January transfer window.

MATCH REPORT: Sunderland 2-1 Crystal Palace

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Glasner congregated all his players and staff at the club’s training ground just before noon on Friday.

What arrived did not necessarily shock the players, they all had to have been living under a rock not to know their manager was very likely leaving in the summer.

The timing, though, got tongues wagging. Why now?

Prior to his announcement to the players, his captain Guehi had confirmed his intention to join Manchester City.

Glasner is one of Guehi’s biggest supporters, he will continue to be when they part ways.

It was always the Austrian’s intention for him and his captain to leave at the end of the season, but with Guehi’s departure thrust forward it is, perhaps, no surprise that he has taken the decision to confirm his intention to go now, too.

Nevertheless, the cracks between Glasner and the Palace hierarchy began showing in the summer.

The Austrian coach had been vocal in his frustration at the lack of transfer incomings. The club signed only back-up left-back Borna Sosa and number two keeper Walter Benitez before the final week of the window, by which point the season was already under way.

They targeted a move for Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande, but the club never got close to reaching an agreement.

Glasner was steadfast in his belief that the club should capitalise on last season’s euphoric FA Cup triumph by building a squad capable of pushing up the Premier League, but also one that could cope with the demands of playing European football for the first time.

Eventually, Palace signed Yeremy Pino in a deal worth £26m while young players Christantus Uche and Jaydee Canvot also arrived.

But Uche and Canvot have hardly played, with Glasner largely relying on the same squad as he did last season with minimal rotation, a squad that lost key player Eberechi Eze to Arsenal.

Palace started the season brightly, with many tipping a push for a Champions League place.

But Glasner feared trouble was round the corner. The coach is adept at juggling domestic and European football – he won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022 after all.

Some behind the scenes believe his apprehension to rotate the team provided a clear indication that it was his intention not renew his contract.

“It’s been like he has been getting his pound of flesh from the players because he knows he is leaving anyway,” said one source.

Eventually Glasner’s concerns came to fruition. They are currently nine matches without a victory, their latest defeat arriving last Saturday against non-league Macclesfield as their efforts to retain the FA Cup came to an embarrassing end.

They are currently 13th in the Premier League heading into this weekend’s game at Sunderland.

Preventing Guehi from joining Liverpool in a deal worth £35m in the summer did represent somewhat of a victory for Glasner, who was adamant all along that the defender should not be sold even if it meant the club would lose him for nothing this summer.

Although denied by Glasner, a number of sources have indicated that the 51-year-old would have considered his position immediately had Palace sold Guehi in the summer.

Even after Glasner informed Parish of his intention to step down over dinner in October, you sensed Palace had not given up hope of somehow persuading their manager to U-turn.

For example, the club record signing of Brennan Johnson is said to have been driven by the Austrian.

Equally, Parish is understood to have played a key role in ensuring Johnson arrived early in the January window to deliver for his manager, which many interpreted as an attempt at trying to convince Glasner that the club were prioritising strengthening the squad with his imprint.

That said, Palace have been active in identifying potential candidates to replace Glasner in the summer.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The Austrian, 51, will leave as a Palace legend having led the Eagles to their first major trophy when they beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup last season.

That victory meant Glasner also took charge of Palace in this season’s Conference League – their first experience of a major European competition – while they beat Liverpool on penalties in August’s Community Shield.

Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are among the European clubs to have shown an interest in signing Guehi on a free transfer, and he can sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from this month.

“If you’re just valuing sports, everyone in the club will say Marc has to stay,” Glasner added. “The chairman will tell you the same. But it’s not one-dimensional. If you see the financial situation, it’s very important.

“If somebody comes, there will be a moment when the club says ‘now the financial issue is more important than the sports issue’.

“There will be a threshold where the club has to say it will happen – as long as Marc says ‘I want to leave’, because the final decision is always with the player.”

Guehi helped Palace finish 12th last season and win the FA Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

The Eagles then won the Community Shield in August, beating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties, and are 14th in the table and through to the knockout phase play-offs in the Uefa Conference League.

“The chairman rejected many offers in the summer because we want to play a successful season and wanted to win the Community Shield,” Glasner added. “Therefore, Marc is important, and then he rejected the offer.

“The threshold at that time, the money we got offered was not above it. Maybe it was close, but it was not above.”

Hollyoaks spoilers have confirmed that Liberty Savage gets caused in the act with her mystery new man by Sienna Blake next week and it’s a familiar face to Brookside fans

A Brookside legend is exposed as the secret lover of a Hollyoaks beauty next week.

In upcoming scenes of the Channel 4 soap, Liberty Savage (Jessamy Stoddart) is beaming after going on a date and tells John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) all about it.

Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) arrives home distraught and Liberty comforts her before a man springs out from her sister’s bedroom – it’s Tinhead.

Fans last saw Timothy ‘Tinhead’ O’Leary (Philip Olivier) after the iconic Hollyoaks and Brookside crossover episode in October when Marie Fielding (Rita Simons) moved to Brookside Close, after her pregnancy lie was exposed.

Marie met Tinhead but what brings him to Hollyoaks?

Later in the week, Sienna goes to Jez Blake’s (Jeremy Sheffield) shed and is about to destroy it until she hears movement, someone is in there.

She runs and finds a van driving off and fans see that it’s Tinhead but why was he lurking around Jez’s shed?

Fans will know that Sienna’s serial killer father Jez and Clare Devine’s mid-air fight led to their plane crashing and hitting the love boat causing the death of Peri Lomax (Ruby O’Donnell).

A brawl ensued, with Sienna barely restraining Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson), who wanted to exact his revenge against Jez over his niece Peri’s death.

Dodger Savage (Danny Mac) was able to handcuff Jez to a railing by the pond but, when the murderer unexpectedly freed himself, Liberty, John Paul and Ste rushed to stop him, causing him to slip into the water.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

There, Jez met a terrible, off-screen fate courtesy of the plane’s airscrew back in full motion. Fans will have to see why Tinhead is hanging out Jez’s old haunt.

Elsewhere in the village, Hollyoaks spoilers have confirmed that Sienna is kicked out by new mum Cleo McQueen (Nadine Mulkerrin).

Cleo snaps at Sienna feeling scrutinized and, hearing a commotion, Misbah Maalik (Harvey Virdi) goes round to check on them.

At the Maaliks, a distraught Sienna asks Misbah why Cleo is treating her like this. Misbah wonders whether Sienna may be suffering from PTSD following recent events with Jez.

Hollyoaks airs Monday to Wednesday on E4 at 7pm and first look episodes can be streamed Channel 4 from 7am

Brennan Johnson will meet Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner on Thursday before making a final decision on whether to complete a £35m move from Tottenham.

BBC Sport understands the growing expectation is for the deal to be completed, but the talks will be pivotal towards the transfer’s successful progression.

Palace have agreed the fee with Tottenham to sign the 24-year-old forward but are still waiting for the green light to conclude the deal.

Wales international Johnson’s talks with Glasner will centre around the player’s role in the team and the club’s future and ambitions to ensure all parties are aligned.

If talks are successful, Johnson is expected to sign for Palace in the coming days.