Glasner will be as frustrated as everplaceholder image
Glasner will be as frustrated as ever | Getty Images
Crystal Palace capped an awful winter transfer window with a late failed deal.
Crystal Palace have capped a shambolic winter transfer window with the collapse of a late deal. The Eagles have endured a torrid time over the last month, and it all started with the loss of Marc Guehi to Manchester City.
The now former Palace club captain was expected to leave at the end of his contract in the summer, but City’s £20million offer and a sweet contract offer to the player changed all of that.
To make matters worse, Oliver Glasner then announced that he would be leaving at the end of the season, and Jean-Philippe Mateta decided to push for an exit shortly after amid interest from the Serie A.
Back then, the interest was coming from Juventus, but Palace’s firm stance seemed to scare them off, ultimately leading to an agreement with AC Milan. Milan held medical tests with Mateta after agreeing a fee, but with the striker having picked up a knee injury, the Italian giants did not feel comfortable going ahead with the deadline deal.
The deal was abandoned, but Palace still went ahead with a deal to sign Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen for between £47million and £48million. Larsen enjoyed a superb season of last, but he has struggled in a poor Wolves side this season.
In fact, Larsen has scored just once all season, and the likelihood is that Wolves will be relegated in a couple of months and that would force them to sell the striker for a cheaper fee. But that did not stop Palace from rushing ahead when they know before completing the signing that the Mateta deal was off and that the forward is on track to return in around three weeks from his injury.
On top of all that, Palace spent £34million to sign Brennan Johnson from Tottenham early in the window, so they already have cover up top, with Eddie Nketiah still to return from injury at some point. The same can also be said of loan signing Evann Guessand, who can also play up top.
Mateta is likely to leave in the summer, given he will only have a year remaining on his deal, but Palace could have signed a striker then and used Mateta between now and then.
McNeil failure caps disastrous window
To make matters worse, Palace pursued a late deal to sign Everton winger Dwight McNeil on deadline day, despite the signing of Guessand, requesting a deal sheet to push through the transfer. It was expected to be a loan deal with an obligation to buy that would have included easy-to-meet conditions.
But due to the clubs failing to work out the finer details by the extended 9pm deadline - on account of their deal sheet - the deal ultimately fell through and McNeil remained with the Toffees. That failed deal only highlighted the ineptitude of Palace’s winter business.
The Eagles failed to find a Guehi replacement, bought a Mateta replacement even though he remained at the club and failed to land McNeil despite effort aplenty in the final moments of the window. The captures of Johnson and Guessand were positives, but they do not hide a horribly handled window from Palace’s recruitment chiefs.
Palace really are missing former recruitment boss Dougie Freedman.
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