It’s been a bitter season for Crystal Palace, but it would be in Glasner-esque fashion for the Londoners to come together and end up with the Conference League title.
That will make it the biggest honors back to Oliver Glasner, who changed the history of the Palace and proved that their name is not a fake name: last season, they became the royalty of England when they beat Manchester City to lift the FA Cup.
The disparity in the Premier League this year has frustrated fans. The slaughter of FA Cup giants by underdogs Macclesfield Town didn’t help, nor did Glasner’s one-man decision to announce in January that he would be leaving the club this summer, fueling the flames at Sirhurst Park.
He will go, but he can do so as a two-time champion.
Crystal Palace are planning a move for Glasner
The shortlist has already been drawn at Crystal Palace; The Eagles are planning to secure Glasner’s replacement early, with a lot of urgency in the upcoming trade market.
Sir Gareth Southgate’s name has been mentioned, as well as Thomas Frank’s. However, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola appears to be the frontrunner to replace Glasner at Selhurst Park.
Whether chairman Steve Parish will be able to convince the Spaniard, who is being targeted by Athletic Bilbao in his hometown, is a different question.
According to Football Insider, Palace are prepared for any route, with out-of-work manager Sean Dyche out of contention due to a ‘low-risk’ situation.
Dyche, 54, was sacked by Nottingham Forest at the start of 2026 but is an experienced Premier League manager who will not attempt to replicate Glasner’s style of play.
However, that may not sit well with Eagles fans, who may find themselves reverting to their old ways.
Why Crystal Palace should not appoint Dyche
While Parish and his colleagues would be wary of trying to replicate Glasner’s presence in the dugout and inevitably fail, there is a case to be made that Dyche may be too far on the other end of the spectrum.
Glasner’s football has taken off a bit this season, but at his best, the winger acts as an aggressive and powerful force, taking on opponents but doing so with ferocious quickness.
Dyche, by contrast, is noted for his deep ground blocks and structured, out-of-the-box structure. That in itself is not the opposite, but there is no doubting the truth of the Englishman’s reputation as a bad trick at times.
In that, he could end up being a new version of Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace, with the aging manager forced to publicly accept fan opposition in January 2024, before his sacking and the appointment of Glasner.
The tactics and game of this 78-year-old player frustrated the Eagles fans, who could not have imagined that after a year and a half they would lift the FA Cup and enter the continental competition.
The question is, which way will Dyche take this new and improved plant? Would he oversee growth from the foundations Glasner laid two years ago?
The Forest fans were deeply dissatisfied with Dyche after the first purple episode, and his time at Everton ended again after the initial benefits.
|
Dyche vs Hodgson – Premier League record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Dyche |
# |
Hodgson |
|
350 |
The same |
418 |
|
99 |
It wins |
136 |
|
95 |
Drawings |
104 |
|
156 |
Loss |
178 |
|
392 |
Points |
512 |
|
1.12 |
PPM |
1.22 |
Dyche is no dinosaur of tactics, however. Commentator Raj Chohan praised him as “capable of holding teams in good gear at times”, and his set-up, while based on strong defensive principles, will face the strong physical style of record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen.
With that in mind, Palace would probably do well with a pragmatic manager in charge. He kept them firmly in the middle of the table.
But would he capitalize on this exciting position and lead to the next stage, continuing to challenge for European football and silverware?
Crystal Palace have come a long way under their Austrian coach, but they will not want to look back on this period as a flash in the pan.
With that in mind, is Dyche really the man to take this club to the next level?
Spurs also want him: The 54-year-old manager is now leading rivals to replace Crystal Palace
Palace are still searching for a replacement for Glasner.
