Crystal Palace fans can have few complaints about Oliver Glasner – but one critique of the Austrian is that he refuses to rotate his side when possible.
The likes of Eddie Nketiah, Jaydee Canvot and Romain Esse are yet to start in the Premier League this season, with the Eagles boss often relying on the same group of players.
That is a risky tactic, with fatigue surely set to kick in as Crystal Palace contend with UEFA Conference League football along with three other competitions.
Christantus Uche is another to have suffered from a lack of rotation under Oliver Glasner – playing just 52 minutes of football since arriving from Getafe in September – and he could soon depart if this fails to change.
The clause in Christantus Uche deal some Crystal Palace fans might not know about
The Nigeria international is not officially a Crystal Palace player just yet.
Uche needs to start ten games this season to trigger his £17m move from Getafe, as Luhay Hamido – President of his old side Cueta, who are due a cut of that fee – revealed to Club Deportivo.
He said: “Uche’s money has not yet arrived, he has to play ten games as a starter for the purchase to count. If not, he returns to Getafe again.”
Christantus Uche in action for Nigeria against Jamaica
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Of course, there is still a long way to go in the 2025/26 campaign, and Crystal Palace could end up playing over 50 games if the UEFA Conference League journey goes well.
However, as things stand, some fans are surely starting to doubt whether Uche – who was left out of the squad entirely against Bournemouth – is going to get those ten starts.
Difficult situation for Steve Parish
This situation is a unique one for Steve Parish, as Glasner becomes a free agent in July and might not even be in charge at Crystal Palace next season.
It means there could be a new boss in place next season who does want Uche, although a deal will be made harder to complete if the Nigerian fails to get his required ten starts across all competitions.
Ultimately, only time will tell how this situation plays out – if Glasner opts to stay and sees Uche as part of his plans, there are enough competitions this season to afford giving him ten starts.