Key players have gone, the manager has announced he is leaving and publicly criticised the club, supporters have been on an emotional rollercoaster — yet Crystal Palace’s turbulent campaign still has the potential to finish with silverware.
Captain Dean Henderson shrugged off the noise after Palace beat Bosnian side Zrinjski 2-0 at Selhurst Park to complete a 3-1 aggregate win and reach the Europa Conference League last 16. “I don’t know what all the fuss was about,” he joked. The goals that night came from Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand as Palace advanced.
The past 12 months have been extraordinary for the Eagles. In May they won their first major trophy by beating Manchester City to lift the FA Cup, then added the Community Shield three months later with a penalty shootout win over Liverpool. Yet the summer and autumn saw significant squad turnover: winger Eberechi Eze moved to Arsenal, captain Marc Guehi left for Manchester City after interest from Liverpool, and top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta came close to joining AC Milan only to fail a medical.
Manager Oliver Glasner — the most successful boss in the club’s history — announced in January he would leave at the end of the season and publicly told the board they had “abandoned” the squad. The comments appeared to mark the end of his tenure, but he has remained in charge. Fans displayed a banner calling him “finished” before Sunday’s 1-0 win over Wolves, yet Glasner insists his position is secure. “100%,” he said when asked if he had assurance from the club, adding that there is “so much noise” and that he sometimes gives interviews “that were not helpful.”
Despite the upheaval, Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, 10 points clear of the relegation zone and just three points off eighth place — a position that could be enough to return them to Europe next season. Glasner points to the players’ continued performances as evidence of unity: “If the players believe in me and the staff, that’s the most important thing… We have a great togetherness in the group — players, staff, really positive.”
In Europe, Palace began the Conference League campaign as bookmakers’ favourites and remain among the competition’s leading sides. They finished 10th in their league phase group and had to face Bosnian champions Zrinjski in two knockout matches to reach the last 16. On Friday they will learn whether they face Mainz of the Bundesliga or Cypriot side Larnaca — the latter having beaten Palace 1-0 in October.
Henderson stressed the knockout nature of the competition and the importance of home support: “We’re hungry for more [silverware] but you don’t talk about winning it three months out. It’s knockout football and we go into it with confidence… Selhurst was rocking tonight and we can make it a fortress.” Former Palace defender James Tomkins told TNT Sports that from here Palace are “favourites to go on and win it,” saying adding a third trophy in two seasons would be “remarkable and beyond the wildest dreams of the fans.”
Glasner acknowledged the team had endured a difficult spell, including a run of 12 winless games from December, but they have since strung together successive wins. With injury problems easing and the expected returns of Mateta and key midfielder Jefferson Lerma in about two weeks, optimism is growing that Palace can consolidate their league position and mount a serious Conference League run.
For now, amid criticism, departures and headlines, Palace maintain momentum on the pitch. The season has been chaotic, but it could still end in more record-breaking glory — and possibly the club’s first European trophy.
