Crystal Palace spent much of the summer fending off the fans of their best players, but on the day Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi stayed, they were unable to secure the contract of big name Michael Olise.
Bayern Munich spent around £50m to lure him from south London and have proven impossible to trade for him.
The 22-year-old scored 10 goals in 19 league games during Palace’s extreme season and was key to their strong finish. In fact, Glasner has won better in a game without Olise in his team: a 3-0 victory over 10-man Burnley.
“Olise is a big mistake. What he is doing now for Bayern Munich and the quality of player he is,” former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey said on Sky Sports. “He is perhaps one of the best to ever come out of Palace.
“The impact he had in that extreme year on the team was notable, so he is not easy to trade.”
While centre-back Joachim Andersen’s departure to Fulham did not attract the same attention as Olise’s departure, it has arguably had just as big an impact.
They conceded just 14 goals in 13 games under Glasner last season, with the 28-year-old key to a stingy Eagles defence. This season they have already let in 11.
At both ends of the pitch, Palace are not the team they were six months ago.
“Even though you’re losing one of your best defenders and one of your best attackers, no matter what your coaching set-up is, it’s difficult to replace that trait,” added former Liverpool defender Jamie. Carragher.
