Oliver Glasner has again emphasized that he never threatened to quit Crystal Palace if Marc Guehi was sold to Liverpool.
Liverpool’s proposed move for the defender collapsed at the last moment on summer transfer deadline day. Although the Reds agreed a £35 million fee with Palace and Guehi even completed his medical, the FA Cup holders backed out because they couldn’t bring in a suitable replacement in time — despite the England centre-back’s contract at Selhurst Park running out next summer.
Reports had claimed Glasner warned chairman Steve Parish that he would walk away from the job if Guehi was allowed to leave. The Palace boss, who is also in the final year of his contract, criticized the club’s lack of summer spending following their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United last weekend.
Before Wednesday’s match against Burnley, Glasner clarified his stance, saying: “I know the team, know what they are capable of and not what they’re capable of. Players are leaving for AFCON and I have to judge all the situations then I’m talking to the chairman and the board and giving them my advice and it was the same with Marc Guehi.
“Everyone said I threatened to step back if we sold Marc Guehi… completely wrong. I said if we don’t have the right replacement, we could struggle. If you are fine with this for Crystal Palace then sell him. If you don’t want the situation, you have to keep him and here is the same. I just give my advice but it’s nothing to do with they have to buy players for Oliver Glasner to sign a new contract. It’s just if we want to progress.”
Liverpool are still monitoring Guehi and may revisit the situation in January. The Reds are currently thin in central defence and have endured a troubled start to their campaign. Their bid to retain the Premier League title already looks bleak, as they sit nine points behind leaders Arsenal, having conceded 20 goals in their first 13 matches.
Guehi’s contract situation has drawn interest from several major European clubs, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, who are reportedly keen to sign him on a free transfer next summer.
‘We don’t guess about these things’
The 25-year-old has already told Palace he will not renew his contract. In October, Parish explained the decision to keep him: “It’s a difficult decision. It’s as simple as that these things are never black and white. I decided in the end that, based on the advice that I got and with what I think, that we would have a better season if we kept Marc.
“We don’t guess about these things. If you look at it rationally, if you look at what is worth the place in the Premier League, the fact that we’re in the [Europa] Conference League for the first time in our history, this is a fairly unusual set of circumstances in which to keep a player.
“If we were fighting between the difference of 10th and 14th, if that was going to be the difference between keeping Marc and letting Marc go, then probably we would have said right, ‘We should take the money.’”
