Following a narrow defeat at home against Manchester United, manager Oliver Glasner noted Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment in the summer, ahead of a season with European football.
As fixture congestion continues in a heightened manner for those in European competitions, will Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment become a point of long-term contention at the club?
Crystal Palace’s Lack of Recruitment: Who Did Arrive at the Club?
In the summer, Oliver Glasner made a point of asking for an increase in squad size, as the club were set to battle with a number of additional fixtures and in response, the Austrian received five new players in his squad.
However, recruitment has been bemoaned, with all of those players aside from Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino receiving limited gametime. Furthermore, some players who did receive gametime last season, including Matheus Franca and, notably, Eberechi Eze, departed the club. Therefore, squad size did not wholly increase, highlighting Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment.
Spanish winger Yeremy Pino has featured in eleven matches for the Eagles so far, totalling 694 minutes on the pitch. Another player who arrived at the club for over 20 million pounds, Jaydee Canvot, comparably, has only played 98 minutes of Premier League football.
Three additional signings, Borna Sosa, Walter Benitez and Christantus Uche, have all played even less football and rarely featured in the first team, leading to questions over their suitability for Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment is also highlighted by the expenditure within those arrivals, totalling 55.3 million euros. This figure is less than what was inherited by the departure of Eberechi Eze, indicating that there should have been allowances for further expenditure at the club.
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Crystal Palace’s Lack of Recruitment: How May This Become a Long-Term Point of Contention?
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has previously shown his expertise in European competition, having guided Eintracht Frankfurt to the Europa League title. Therefore, many will argue that this is indicative of a reason to act upon his suggestions, and Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment portrays the opposite of doing so.
Furthermore, if a manager is openly criticising the club’s hierarchy, in previous seasons, the manager has often swiftly departed the club, something which Palace fans would not like to see with Oliver Glasner. This is represented by Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure from Nottingham Forest, and Scott Parker’s departures from Fulham and AFC Bournemouth, respectively.
Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment may also impact the players, who may become fatigued from the additional fixtures. Although footballers should be able to contest the additional fixtures somewhat, performance levels may decrease due to fatigue.
However, Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment is currently far from evident in the Premier League as the Eagles sit ninth on the Premier League table, four points off fourth place. The Eagles have won five and drawn five fixtures so far, having only lost three matches.
Conclusion
It is evident that Oliver Glasner is unhappy with Crystal Palace’s lack of recruitment in the summer, which has been notable. It is also evident that there may have been potential for increased expenditure, which has not been the case.
Furthermore, the future of Marc Guehi remains uncertain with the club. Therefore, if Glasner is currently unhappy with the Crystal Palace hierarchy, they will have to act in the correct manner following Guehi’s inevitable departure to ensure Glasner remains with the club.
However, it has often been noted how smart and astute Glasner is tactically as a manager, and the success that has come with those players under his stewardship. Although there may be challenges along the way. Crystal Palace fans will be hoping that success continues as long as possible.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / IPS
Recording Date: 30.11.2025
