Oliver Glasner accused Crystal Palace of abandoning the squad after a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland, attacking the club’s transfer strategy and timing of key sales. The loss at the Stadium of Light extended Palace’s winless run to 10 league matches and deepened pressure during Glasner’s final season in charge.
Palace had led through Yeremy Pino before goals from Enzo Le Fee and Brian Brobbey turned the match around. The result left the Eagles on their longest winless streak since a 13-game spell between January and March 2023, when they drew five matches and lost eight in the Premier League.
On 16 January, Glasner confirmed that this season will be the last with Crystal Palace and also revealed captain Marc Guehi is finalising a transfer to Manchester
City. Jean-Philippe Mateta could also depart Selhurst Park, adding to concern around squad depth ahead of the final months of the campaign.
Glasner’s strongest criticism focused on the timing of Guehi’s sale, which is close to a league fixture. He said the decision damaged preparations during what Glasner described as the first full training week since September. Palace are already short on senior options, and Glasner feels the situation has developed over several months.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the defeat, Glasner did not hide frustration at Crystal Palace’s transfer strategy. He said: "I feel we are being abandoned completely. I can't play many players. They did everything they could and this has been going on for weeks and months now. We have 12, 13 players from the squad available and we feel no support.
"The worst thing is selling our captain one day before playing a Premier League game. We are preparing, it's the first [full] week we are training since September, and then we are selling our captain one day before a game. So I have no understanding of this.
"I have always kept my mouth [shut], but I can't because I have to defend these players, because it was the 35th game today. Yes we get under pressure here and we are unlucky. But again, you can't react, we can't help them, it makes it really tough. "
Glasner linked Crystal Palace’s poor form directly to player exits, including Eberechi Eze’s transfer to Arsenal late in the summer window. Asked what caused the sharp downturn, Glasner answered: "It's pretty clear, yeah? I didn't sell anyone. If you get your heart torn out twice this season, one day before a game, it was withEze in summer, it was with Guehi now, you know?
"What should I tell the players all the time? What should I tell them? I look at the bench, I can't react, just kids on the bench, and this has not happened yesterday, this is weeks ago. That's why I'm really frustrated. "
The defeat at Sunderland left Palace still searching for a league victory after 10 games. That sequence mirrors the difficult 2023 run, when the club also struggled for momentum. This time, however, the pressure is complicated by Glasner’s confirmed departure and the loss of influential players mid-season.
The key match details were as follows:
Crystal Palace opened the scoring through Yeremy Pino, but Sunderland equalised before half-time. Le Fee struck to restore parity, and Brobbey’s 71st-minute finish secured the win. Palace could not find a response, and the late stages highlighted Glasner’s concerns about a short bench and limited senior options.
Defeat in Sunderland. pic.twitter.com/CmfGqLQ25bCrystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 17, 2026
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner on future, squad unity and Sunderland reaction
Glasner was asked whether Crystal Palace’s situation, and the club’s transfer strategy, might prompt an early exit before season’s end. Asked if he will see out the campaign, Glasner replied: "I don't know. " However, he then made clear that the coach has no plans to walk away and leave the players mid-season.
Glasner added: "No, never, I would never [leave]. I will go with this group of players until the end. I have so much respect for their character. I see they're disappointed and I know how hard they are working, I see how hard they are fighting at the end. Never, no chance.
"I have said to the players we have to stick together, if we don't get the support it's us that have to do it. There is nobody else, we are the only ones, we are the ones who have to play. " Those remarks underlined Glasner’s belief that Crystal Palace’s dressing room must rely on internal strength.
On the opposite side, Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris highlighted how his players managed the occasion against Crystal Palace. Le Bris told BBC Sport: "I think we showed a great level of maturity. It was really important to stay composed because we felt the quality of Crystal Palace, they are a good side. We showed our intentions and I think our second half was very good. "
For Crystal Palace, the defeat at Sunderland, the critical remarks on the club’s transfer strategy, and the looming departures of Marc Guehi and possibly Jean-Philippe Mateta frame a tense period. With Oliver Glasner committed to finishing the season, the focus now rests on how a stretched squad responds to a long winless run.
