Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner sent a clear message to the board with what he did against Sunderland, and it links to some comments he made in the summer transfer window.
It's been an interesting start to the 2025/2026 season for the Eagles, who are in fact unbeaten in the Premier League. That might not paint the full picture, with three out of four of their games ending in draws, including home fixtures against Nottingham Forest and newly promoted Sunderland.
The summer window was a hectic one for Palace, with Eberechi Eze's depature to London rivals Arsenal one of the biggest talking points. Liverpool were also close to signing Marc Guehi, with the English centre-back even completing a medical with the Merseyside outfit, but the plug was pulled on the deal after Palace failed to bring in a replacement. Glasner's side managed to strengthen, but their squad is seriously lacking in depth, and that could be a major concern for the Palace manager.
Glasner Sends Message to Palace Board v Sunderland
Oliver Glasner
Glasner may have been sending a message to the Palace board against Sunderland, and it links in to something he said in the media during the summer transfer window. Back in late July, Glasner said that he was 'promised more' signings at the time, suggesting that they hadn't made the most of the transfer window. The Palace boss claimed that late deadline day signings aren't always the answer, especially if you want a fast start...
“Even though all the players are still here, we haven’t made the most of the transfer window so far. I was promised that we would be more active and bring in the new players earlier this year.
I hope we don’t lose any more. If that happens and we get four new ones on deadline day like last year, another false start is possible.”
Against Sunderland, Glasner made just two substitutions, despite Palace chasing the game and needing a goal. One of those alterations was in the 84th minute, with Christantus Uche coming on, while Justin Devenny was also introduced in the 69th minute. Glasner may well have been sending a message to the Palace board that he doesn't have enough squad depth as it stands, especially with the Eagles competing in the Europa Conference League.
When a side is chasing the game at 0-0 against a newly promoted team at home, you'll usually see a host of different substitutions to try and change their fortunes, but Glasner waiting so late to make just his second change speaks volumes about how he feels about the squad.