Oliver Glasner has revealed Crystal Palace made “huge bids” on deadline day as a series of late deals collapsed, leaving the Eagles frustrated despite securing a club-record signing.
The Palace head coach lifted the lid on a chaotic final day of the January window, which saw moves involving Jean-Philippe Mateta, Dwight McNeil and a replacement for Marc Guehi all fall apart in the closing moments.
Palace’s frantic Deadline Day at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace entered deadline day with multiple moving parts. Jean-Philippe Mateta was pushing for a move to AC Milan, while the club were simultaneously working on attacking reinforcements and a defensive replacement for Guehi.
While Jørgen Strand Larsen did arrive from Wolves in a club-record deal, the rest of Palace’s plans unravelled. Mateta failed his medical in Italy, no centre-back was signed, and paperwork to bring in Dwight McNeil from Everton was not completed in time.
Glasner admitted the outcome was disappointing but insisted the club made every possible effort.
“I’ve learned to accept situations. My wish of course, and everyone at the club, would have been that JP gets what he wants and we get Jørgen and Dwight McNeil into the building and Marc Guehi’s replacement into the building,” — Oliver Glasner
‘Huge offers’ rejected for Guehi replacement
One of Palace’s biggest frustrations came in their attempt to sign a defender. Glasner confirmed the club were prepared to spend heavily but were blocked by sellers unwilling to do business so late.
“This is what everybody was working on until the final seconds. At the end of it the club tried everything with huge offers and huge bids for a Marc Guehi replacement, but clubs said they don’t sell on Deadline Day”
The lack of a defensive addition leaves Palace short in an area Glasner had identified as a priority.
Strand Larsen deal praised despite Mateta staying
Glasner was keen to credit the club for still pushing through the Strand Larsen signing, even though Mateta’s expected departure never materialised.
“Credit to the club that they, without getting any money for JP, spent a big fee on Strand Larsen.”
The striker’s arrival was not dependent on Mateta’s sale, a decision that underlined Palace’s willingness to back their manager financially.
McNeil deal collapsed late
Dwight McNeil’s move from Everton appeared the most advanced but ultimately fell apart in the final moments. Glasner confirmed he had already planned to integrate the winger into training.
“McNeil was the last one we thought we could finalise, but in the last minutes the terms of the deal changed again and the deal failed. I expected him and planned for him in the next day's training.”
The failed deal has since prompted public disagreement between Palace and Everton over where responsibility lay.
Key Insights
- Palace made multiple late moves on deadline day
- ‘Huge bids’ were submitted for a Guehi replacement
- Clubs refused to sell defenders late in the window
- Strand Larsen arrived despite Mateta staying
- Dwight McNeil deal collapsed after late changes
What’s Next
Crystal Palace now move forward with their existing squad for the remainder of the season, with Strand Larsen expected to play a central role in Glasner’s plans. Defensive reinforcements and McNeil’s situation are likely to be revisited in the summer, when Palace may have more room to manoeuvre without deadline-day constraints.
Did Palace do enough on deadline day, or were they ultimately punished by leaving too much business too late?
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