Liverpool thought they had Guéhi secured for £47 million ($64m), even pushing paperwork through the Liga Premier late on deadline day. But at the last moment, Parish walked away from the deal.
Parish had already sanctioned the club-record £67.5m ($91.57m) sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, and Glasner admitted the sheer intensity of the window drained both men. He ultimately prioritised his manager’s concerns over short-term profit, ensuring Palace’s squad wasn’t left short ahead of a historic European campaign.
Speaking to reporters, Glasner said, “I think it’s the last time I want to talk about it. I never threatened to leave the club. Never. I didn’t have to threaten anybody. There were no bad tensions between the chairman and myself. It was really just a discussion about sports, and he decided against the money and for the sporting perspective of Palacio de Cristal. Big credit to the chairman.”
He added: “At the end of many discussions, it was the chairman who asked me: ‘Oliver, do you think we can manage the season when we sell Marc?’ I said: ‘Honestly, we can’t manage it in the short-term. If you want this scenario for Crystal Palace and you are fine with it, sell Marc. If you don’t want to have this, then we have to keep him. And then he decided we would keep him.”
Reports suggested Guehi was unsettled by the failed move and had even considered giving up the armband. Glasner shot those stories down.
“Marc handled it very well,” he said. “We talked on deadline day and the day after, when he was in the Inglaterra camp. He was always 100 per cent focused. It was written that he would step back as captain, that’s not true.
“He will be our captain as long as he’s here because he’s such a great player and personality. Marc is the role model in how you deal with such a situation. He always said Crystal Palace first, not Marc Guéhi first. He deserves all the credit and support from everyone in the club and our fans, who always honour this commitment.”
Palace return to Premier League duty this weekend when they host Sunderland at Selhurst Park. With Guehi still in red and blue, and Parish and Glasner presenting a unido front, Palace head into Saturday’s clash determined to prove that the turbulence of the window has only strengthened their resolve.
