Oliver Glasner has rarely made a mistake at Crystal Palace.
Despite arriving in SE25 as recently as February 2024, the Austrian has overseen a golden period for the Eagles – winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield as he brings European football to Selhurst Park for the first time ever as well.
However, there was one error of judgement made by Oliver Glasner in July 2024 which has ended up costing Crystal Palace over £2m.
Ryan Sessegnon is now a Premier League regular after Oliver Glasner snub
In the summer of 2024, the Eagles needed a left wing-back to help Tyrick Mitchell.
It coincided with Tottenham releasing Ryan Sessegnon – who they signed from Fulham for £25m back in August 2019.
The man from Roehampton had endured plenty of injuries at Spurs – hence his release – but Crystal Palace still opted to take him on trial to see if he could prove himself as a competent deputy for Mitchell.
| Season | Days | Injuries | Games missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23/24 | 314 days | 3 | 40 |
| 22/23 | 140 days | 1 | 22 |
| 21/22 | 171 days | 4 | 31 |
| 20/21 | 49 days | 2 | 9 |
| 19/20 | 135 days | 1 | 19 |
| 18/19 | 13 days | 1 | 3 |
It was a lengthy trial for Sessegnon – lasting just under two weeks – but both The Athletic and Alan Nixon claimed that it was Glasner who decided against signing the Londoner.
Nixon briefly elaborated on that, posting on X (previously known as Twitter) to reveal that the Crystal Palace boss felt unsure the Fulham academy graduate “was what was needed” at Selhurst Park.
Sessegnon eventually penned a two-year contract back at Fulham that same month, where he has since proven his talent and become a regular in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace could have saved £2m Borna Sosa fee and Ben Chilwell wages had Ryan Sessegnon been signed
Sessegnon has started the last six Premier League games for Fulham, playing 90 minutes in three of those outings and scoring one goal.
The former Hoffenheim loanee also netted against Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League last term.
In the aftermath of his decision to reject the Fulham No.30 in July 2024, Glasner was not given another left wing-back until the winter transfer window, when Ben Chilwell arrived on loan from Chelsea.
Crystal Palace paid the England international £95,000-a-week, half of his Chelsea salary, throughout his six months at Selhurst Park, but opted against a permanent move in the summer.
Instead, a sum of £2m was spent to sign Borna Sosa from Ajax to provide competition for Mitchell, with the Croatia international yet to really stand out – he was even sent off in the comfortable win over Dynamo Kyiv.
In the meantime, Sessegnon – who is still just 25 years of age – is thriving at Fulham, suggesting Glasner was wrong to snub him.
