Crystal Palace talisman Eberechi Eze is heading to Arsenal in a blockbuster £67.5 million deal, and manager Oliver Glasner has made no attempt to hide his fury at how the saga has unfolded, leaving them with little time to find a replacement.
The England international pulled out of Thursday night’s historic 1-0 Conference League play-off victory over Fredrikstad just hours before kick-off, with Glasner admitting he was blindsided by the timing.
Eze, who was expected to start against the Norwegians, rang Glasner on matchday claiming he felt unwell. That forced the Austrian to turn to 21-year-old Justin Devenny, who stepped into the starting XI on a night that marked Palace’s first-ever taste of European action.
After the slender 1-0 victory, Glasner launched a blistering attack on the club’s hierarchy, accusing them of sleepwalking through the transfer market while their prized asset’s exit loomed large.
“I can’t do anything,” said Glasner. “I can’t sign a player’s contract. We have to act. We need this. This is Crystal Palace’s future. It’s easy to add numbers, we need to add the right players.
“The profile has been defined for months, for months. Also it’s not surprising for everyone that Ebs left, because five days earlier we couldn’t have done anything if he leaves [due to a release clause]. We knew that this chance is very high that this would happen, and honestly, I say it like it is, we missed the chance to replace him early enough. That’s completely our fault, and nobody else’s fault.”
He was brutally honest with Eze’s future and added, “I’m responsible for Crystal Palace and I think he won’t play for us again. So I have to prepare the team for Nottingham [Forest, in the Premier League on Sunday] and for the second leg against Fredrikstad, and I’m planning without Eberechi.”
