Wednesday night saw Crystal Palace lift the Conference League trophy with glorious scenes over in Leipzig.
Crystal Palace overcame Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in Germany to become the 2026 Conference League champions.
Winning the competition sees Palace benefit financially with the earnings from the Conference League, combined with the boost which will see The Eagles in the Europa League next season.
The celebrations post-game on the pitch were briefly interrupted by a series of interviews, with Adam Wharton in particular heaping praise on Oliver Glasner.
Adam Wharton hails Oliver Glasner
Amid the celebration, there was also the sadness of knowing this was Glasner’s final game in charge of the club.
Andoni Iraola could be announced in the next few days, according to BBC Sport, which might even be an upgrade, but speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Wharton made it clear that Glasner will be missed.
“Yeah, last game as Palace manager,” Wharton remarked.
“The difference he’s made in two and a half years is incredible. Three trophies for Palace, first three trophies in the history of the club, first European competition, winning it, unbelievable.
“He’s got to be one of the best managers Palace have ever had, and he’s made a massive difference for how the club look at competitions now. We’re not just looking to stay in the Premier League or be in Europe, we’re looking to win and be as high as possible.”
Glasner is completely deserving of this praise, as remembering back to when he took charge, it was a relegation battle he had to contend with in the aftermath of Roy Hodgson.
Since then, he has completely changed the club and brought inconceivable success that will be almost impossible for the next manager to contend with.
The praise of Glasner continued from Henderson in a subsequent interview.
“It’s a fairytale. The manager’s been incredible as well, you know how good he is, Wardy, he deserves his send off, this is how it should have ended.”
Crystal Palace must get the managerial appointment correct
For the first time in history, Palace are a winning club, with silverware starting to become ingrained within the walls of Selhurst Park, and the challenge for Steve Parish now is to ensure this isn’t just a one-off under a singular manager.
Instead, it needs to be strived for and set out as a target for whoever is appointed head coach, not as a far-fetched ambition, but as a realistic goal every year.
Iraola looks likeliest to arrive, but he would so without the winning pedigree that Glasner had when he arrived, which could be a concern.
Palace will play wonderful football under Iraola, and shoot up the Premier League table, but it doesn’t exactly suit the cup competitions in the same way that Glasner’s brand did.
More importantly, Parish and Co. need to get the recruitment right this summer, hand Iraola young players with high ceilings and watch him transform them.
It is a key point in the history of Palace, so it’s time to act like a big club.
