Glasner's Palace Exit Accelerates as Mateta Edges Toward Juventus

The writing appears increasingly clear on the wall for Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace, with the Austrian manager's exit now a matter of when rather than if. The Palace board have resolved to keep him through to the summer, yet another star name heading for the exit door threatens to test that resolve to breaking point.

Glasner has made his intentions abundantly clear: his contract expires at season's end and he will not be renewing. The manager has also stopped short of requesting the sack outright, though his recent outbursts suggest he's not far from it. He was told, in no uncertain terms, that he must see out the campaign.

Glasner's Frustration Boils Over

Following Saturday's Premier League reverse at Sunderland, the Palace boss could contain his irritation no longer. His complaints centred on the club's transfer activity and what he perceives as a lack of support from ownership.

"I feel we are being abandoned completely," Glasner vented. "We couldn't make a sub, we had no one on the bench."

The manager's ire was particularly directed at the timing of Marc Guehi's sale. "The worst thing is selling our captain one day before playing a Premier League game," he said. "We are preparing, it's the first week we are training since September, and then we are selling our captain one day before a game. So I have no understanding of this. I have always kept my mouth, but I can't because I have to defend these players."

When pressed on who specifically had abandoned him, Glasner was blunt: "It's pretty clear, yeah? It's pretty clear. Again, I didn't sell anyone. If you get your heart torn out twice this season, one day before a game, it was with Eze in summer, it was with Guehi now, you know? What should I tell the players all the time? What should I tell them?"

Despite the explosive nature of his comments, Glasner insisted he would not walk away this month. "I will go with this group of players until the end," he declared. "I have so much respect for their character. I see their disappointed and I know how hard they are working."

Yet his words carry the unmistakable whiff of a manager attempting to force the club's hand into a sacking arrangement. Eze's summer departure stung, and Guehi's exit—confirmed just hours before a fixture—has clearly pushed the 51-year-old to his limit. The club's failure to bring in replacements only compounds the sense of being left to fend for himself.

Mateta Poised for Italian Switch

As if to add insult to injury, another Palace forward is now edging towards the exit. According to reports from Nicolo Schira, Juventus are advancing their pursuit of Jean-Philippe Mateta with genuine momentum.

The French striker, who has netted 38 Premier League goals across the past two-and-a-half seasons, has reportedly reached an agreement in principle to join the Serie A club on a four-year contract. Mateta has expressed his desire to make the move to Turin.

The structure being discussed involves Juventus signing Mateta on loan with an obligation to buy, the fee set at €30 million (£25.9 million). Discussions between the parties have progressed positively, with the Italian side keen to wrap up the deal within the week following Mateta's acceptance of personal terms.

For Glasner, watching yet another attacking talent depart—particularly one of Palace's more consistent performers—may well prove to be the final straw. Whether the manager can maintain his resolve to stay through until summer remains to be seen.