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- [00:00]
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It's smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart one you can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover you can get this Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show see terms@discover.com creditcard
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- [01:53]
Matt Davis Adams
The Athletic FC welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me, Matt Davis Adams. A year after winning the FA Cup, Crystal palace have another piece of silverware to place in their newly installed trophy cabinet. Oliver Glassner's parting gift was to deliver the Conference League. So what comes next for Palace? Alongside me, a pair of giddy Eagles experts out in Leipzig, our Crystal palace correspondent, Matt Woosnam. How you doing Matt?
- [02:26]
Matt Woosnam
I'm good, thanks Matt.
- [02:28]
Matt Davis Adams
And we got Dom Fifield with us too. Dom, you okay?
- [02:31]
Dom Fifield
I'm fine. Matt didn't sound very excited at all, did he?
- [02:35]
Matt Davis Adams
I'd say it was the response of a man who finished work at 4 o' clock this morning and has been asked to come back on at 9 o' clock this morning. All right, so this time last season, Crystal palace was celebrating their first ever major trophy. On Wednesday night, they added another in the shape of the Conference League. Lovely trophy it is, too. Matt, you're out in Leipzig, as I said. Just sum up what this means for Palace.
- [02:56]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, it's an absolutely incredible achievement. Obviously, winning the FA cup was special. Palace were underdogs. Didn't expect to win that last year. I think there was an expectation from some quarters that palace would win the Conference League. They were the favorites pre tournament, but, you know, Oliver Glasner spoke a lot and railed against that a lot about how can a team in their debut campaign be the favorites to win a European trophy. All of that aside, regardless of any of that, it's an absolutely outstanding achievement. You know, it's fantastic. It means so much to the fans who dreamt of a European journey, let alone winning in Europe, winning a game in Europe or even drawing in Europe. They didn't even dream of that. They just dreamt of going and seeing their team play in Europe and they finally got to do that and they made it special. And they'll get another shot at it as well next year with the Europa League. And obviously, after the burning injustice that they felt last summer, I think it means even more as a result of that. Will Hughes, in the sort of mix zone after the game, sort of was asked whether it's better than the FA cup, and he sort of talked about growing up with the FA cup and how special that is, but actually he seemed to imply that this was better. And I think anyone winning a European trophy, regardless of it being the third tier competition, would be absolutely ecstatic and over the moon if that happened to them. So Palestine celebrated long into the night. Way after the bars had closed, they were still singing. So I think that tells you a lot about what it means. There are about 18,000 of them out here, I believe as well.
- [04:30]
Matt Davis Adams
Yeah, incredible support. And they were noisy too. Dom, you wait 120 years for a major trophy and then three come along in 12 months. Can you quite believe that this is your Crystal Palace?
- [04:41]
Dom Fifield
Well, no, not really, no. I'm sort of more used to losing 4 nil at home to Scunthorpe occasionally and relegation scraps from the Premier League. But what has been achieved in the last 12 months? I mean, a lot of that's down to Oliver Glasner as well, but. But the club has. Has grown over this extended period in the Premier League and is reaping the rewards now. I mean, Giddy rewards, rewards that we never expected. I didn't expect. I was one of many in tears at Wembley last May and I didn't think I would react the same way last night, but it was emotional. It was emotional. You know, I'm trying to explain to my kids that this isn't really what happens at Crystal Palace. You don't usually win European trophies or trophies at all. Or win in fact, sometimes. Yeah, it's an amazing time to be a Crystal palace supporter. It's an amazing time to watch this group of players put in the effort that they do. And you know, that excitement will continue next year, as Matt says, with the
- [05:40]
Matt Davis Adams
Europa League, but it will not be Oliver Glasner's Crystal palace when they kick off in that competition. And we'll talk about his departure in more detail shortly, Matt. But clearly this was the perfect way for him to say goodbye.
- [05:52]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, 100%. Like it couldn't have, couldn't have been any better for him. A real fitting send off and you know, he deserves the adulation that he's going to get for it and has already received for it. You know, there's been some really tough times this season for palace, you know, not least his emotional outbursts which came quite frequently sort of over sort of January. I suppose it was after he said that he was going to leave in the summer and the way that the fans reacted to that. But he's really sort of managed to galvanize everyone and he's delivered. And I think, you know, there's so much, so much credit has to go to him. Clearly there's a lot of credit has to go to club, as Dom says. But you know, Glasner himself is just a fantastic coach and I think, you know, having sat in what he says is probably about 120 press conferences with him, I feel like I've got a decent insight into his sort of mentality and how he approaches things. And yeah, I think that, you know, intrinsic motivation is a word that he constantly comes back to and I think he manages to weirdly sort of get that out of players and it's intrinsic, but he sort of brings up to the fore and I think he's just done a great job of bringing everyone back together after the difficult times. Sean, Philippe, Mateta and his on off transfer, for example, the injuries that palace had, it's all come back together and I think Glasner deserves so much credit for that and it's an incredible achievement for him personally as well. But he's brought unparalleled unprecedented success to this club and that's absolutely incredible.
- [07:21]
Matt Davis Adams
How's it been for you to report on this season? I mean, I know that everybody wants actual stuff to report on and boy, you've had plenty of that, right? The rivalry with Forest, getting knocked out of the FA cup as holders by non league Macclesfield and then finishing with some, some European silverware. You've not been short of copy at least.
- [07:39]
Matt Woosnam
It's been incredibly rewarding. I've loved it. It's been exhausting, but it's been rewarding. I keep coming back to what Glasser says because I find him so interesting. He comes up with some really interesting things, but he sort of says, you know, about if you don't put the work in, then you don't get it back. I think he talks about, you get the reward and you taste the sweet honey and you want more and you can have soup every day, but then you have beef and you want more beef is what he said to me in a one on one press conference. I was the only written journo there at the time and he comes up with some great stuff. So, yeah, it's been fantastic. Obviously there's been some pretty, pretty rough times and the 11 game winless run was pretty hard. But that comes back off the 19 game unbeaten run that started last season and came into this season. Being able to go out here and report from a European final. I never thought I would do that, for example. But I think, yeah, it's been a fantastic season to cover. I think there's so many different storylines that are so interesting to get into. The Glasner outbursts and getting knocked out by Macclesfield was obviously a really, really difficult time for the club and the fans and like to kind of represent that and hear what they had to say about that. And I think more than anything, just listening to what people talk about and how they feel and what they say and how they've experienced this season, that's what's important and that's what I really value as well, is hearing what people have to say about this season and how they've experienced it and how much joy it's given them to lift another trophy and to come to Europe and to travel in Europe with Palace. It's been fantastic for me and I think it's been fantastic for the fans for the most part as well.
- [09:18]
Matt Davis Adams
So Glasner's the main character in this story then. Dom Jean Philippe Mateta probably best supporting actor did you see this coming in January when he wanted out? Look for all the world as though he was leaving. Booed when he returned. And now he's a bonafide palace legend, isn't he?
- [09:34]
Dom Fifield
I didn't see the bridges being rebuilt in January. Look, I'll be honest, I didn't think that Oliver Glasner would see out the season either, given the way things were going around that time. A very emotional man, Glasner. And you know, the disappointment that he felt at the sale of Mark Gay, the squad strength that he had at his disposal at the time prompted those public outbursts that the club hadn't seen coming around the Sunderland game in the middle of January. And it really felt on many levels that his position looked untenable at that point. So for him to turn it round was quite something. And built upon results and the club's recognition that he was probably still the best man to get the best out of this squad, which is very much his squad of players and a group that knows how he wants them to play. But key to that in many ways was Mateta. And Mateta had been playing with an injury really from November time onwards in his knee and in the background to the toils on the pitch, because the knee injury definitely made him less of a player on the pitch was the controversy around his contractual situation and the fact that he wasn't going to sign a new deal. So he wanted out. That came to A four in January as well. And you know, had palace lost Mateta and Gaye in January, even with the amount of money they did spend on Guessant, Strand, Larsson and Johnson, it would have felt very, very difficult for palace to recover and to maintain the spirit that had got them to the FA Cup Final and to success last season. But you know, when the move to Milan broke down, as Matt charted in a piece earlier this week in the Athletic, he knuckled down. He realized that the only way that he could make that France squad for the summer's World cup was by Reg his place in the team. And he had a. He had competition in Strand Larsen ahead of him now and he got stuck in once, once he'd rested the injury, they'd opted against surgery. They rested the injury and got him back in in March time around the Larnaca game and reintroduced him gradually initially. And then we really saw the Jean Philippe Muteta of last season, the player that was capable of moving around the pitch and causing defenders problems all over the place and scoring goals. I mean, his impact was key both in the Premier League and the. And the Conference League. You know, the goals he Scored against Newcastle to turn around that. That win really guaranteed Palace's survival in the Premier League at that point because there had been relegation concerns. I mean you'll, you'll empathize with that, Matt. Given given Forest's predicament at times this season. But for him to then turn it around completely and do what he's done in the Conference League as well as convincing Didier Deschamps that he should go to the World cup in France, even as you know, the seventh place striker and a remarkable French squad is testament to his work rate and the way that he's won people back over and rebuilt, built those bridges. It's a remarkable story of redemption like Glasner's and it adds to it all and it's intriguing to see what happens with it because everybody assumes that he'll probably just leave in the summer to Milan again if somebody comes in for him. But they've got to put in an offer that palace will willing to accept with a year to run in his contract. You know, that might have been his farewell in Leipzig as well. It might not have been.
- [12:55]
Matt Davis Adams
What do you think, Matt? Because as Dom says, only a year left on his contract. We've seen how Steve Parish is reluctant to let people go without getting in a transfer fee. Is he more likely to be kicking off the season somewhere else in Selhurst Park?
- [13:08]
Matt Woosnam
It really does depend on who comes in for him and I mean it'll be interesting to see if he gets a chance at the World Cup. He's obviously not France's first choice striker, but I'm sure he'll get some minutes and if he can make an impact to the World cup that might also help him, you know, to get what he has and probably still does desire to part. You know, he's had a contract offer on the table from palace for over two years that he hasn't signed, which is obviously his right. But I think there is also a chance that he will stay. We saw it with Gay. Palace didn't sell Gaye initially in the summer. The move to Liverpool broke down of course and so selling him in January made sense. Like I think certainly from Palace's point of view, as incredible and important as Marc Gaye was, I think replacing Mateta is a very difficult thing to do. He plays in a kind of unique way at least in this system. I suppose we'll come on to next manager and who that might be. But if they play a different system then you know, will Mateta fit into that system. These are all things that palace have to think about. So it still is about the money and what someone offers. I don't think palace will be forced into selling at a low offer. If someone comes in and sort of hits a good offer, then I think palace will be probably more inclined to take that. But at the same time, Jurgen Strand Larsen has shown that he's great off the bench. In particular, he's got that skill and that ability, but he's a totally different player to Mateta and I think the two complement each other quite well. Mateta said to reporters on a pre Conference League final media day last week that having another striker in to put him under pressure almost had helped him. So again, that's something that palace will have to think about. They'll obviously have to get someone in if they do sell, but I think I wouldn't rule out him staying, that's for sure.
- [14:56]
Matt Davis Adams
All right, TBC on Mateta then, but we know that there is a manager to be replaced. We'll talk next about how palace will move on from the Oliver Glasna era.
- [15:06]
Producer/Announcer
This is the Athletic FC podcast with Matt Davis Adams.
- [15:13]
Advertiser/Host
It's smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day and with Discover you can get this Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show see terms@discover.com credit card I'm Jake Stauch, co founder and CEO of Servl. We built Servl to automate the IT work that slows companies down. Onboarding password resets, access to applications. My laptop stopped working. While employees wait for help, their real work is put on hold. It desperately wants to automate this work and that's why they need Serval. You just tell Servil what you want to automate in plain English and it's built. No drag and drop workflows, no expensive consultants. Employees get unblocked and IT teams go from drowning in tickets to building what actually matters. With Cerbal, it becomes the AI engine powering the entire company. This is a new way to run it. We guarantee you'll automate 50% of all tickets and we'll prove it to you in a free four week pilot. Go to serval.com acast that's S-E-R-V-A-L.com/acast. This is Nick and Jack from the Best One yet and we are excited to tell you about Walmart Business. Staying ahead of business trends means moving fast and adapting quickly. Walmart business helps you simplify operations so you can focus on building the next big thing. Find exactly what your organization needs with their ever expanding business assortment and everyday low prices. Keep your momentum going fast with reliable shipping and fulfillment. Eligible organizations can take advantage of tax free shopping both in store and online, saving you more while getting you everything you need. It's Walmart built for your business. Sign up for a free Walmart Business account today@business.walmart.com.
- [17:18]
Matt Woosnam
Two years and two months ago I
- [17:20]
Producer/Announcer
came as a stranger and now after
- [17:22]
Dom Fifield
two years I feel like I'm a South Londoner. So thank you very much for this.
- [17:27]
Matt Davis Adams
So on Sunday, Glasner said he leaves Crystal palace as a South Londoner. It's a nice, if somewhat inaccurate line, Matt. How difficult is it going to be to replace him? It's not quite Fergie at Man United or Wenger at Arsenal, is it, in terms of the length of time he was there, but he's clearly a manager who's defined Crystal palace in recent years. I mean, there's no way that he stays, is there? Presumably?
- [17:51]
Matt Woosnam
No, he's definitely not saying. He's, he's confirmed that again multiple, multiple times. He confirmed that again last night in his, in his press conference that, that he wasn't going to stay. The players did a video for him at the training ground before they flew to Leipzig a couple of days ago to sort of say goodbye and there were some gifts given to him after the game as well. So yeah, he's definitely leaving, but it's going to be very, very difficult for palace to, to replace him. In some ways. It's actually kind of his mentality and his approach that is probably the hardest thing for them to find. You know, he really raised the ceiling of the club. He, he completely changed the way that people think about Palace. You know, the ambition that he showed filtered through to the fans. They believed, I think they believed last night. I think a lot of palace fans, without thinking they were going to win, believed strongly that they could win. That's something that Palestine's, generally speaking, haven't sort of felt a lot like they felt at the FA Cup Final that they could win that under Glasner despite being the underdogs. And I think that way of changing the way that the club thinks and the way that people think and driving them forward is maybe even the hardest thing to change. And to come in and find someone to do that or to take them on and continue that and to be like, actually, let's do it this way, to push back and to find another way of doing things where maybe it's not that right or the best way. I think palace have been incredibly well managed off the pitch for the last 15, 16 years under Steve Harris's chairmanship and CPFC 2010 and then his general partners. So I'm sure that they definitely thought about Glassner. I think in a way maybe it helped that Glassner had told them back in October and that he was leaving. Going public probably didn't help him. But telling them so they could then look at alternative plans will certainly have helped.
- [19:48]
Matt Davis Adams
Do you think, Dom, that from Glassner's perspective he'll regret now that outburst in, in January or do you think that he will just see that as him being true to his own principles?
- [19:58]
Dom Fifield
Oh, the latter, the latter almost definitely. You know what, actually when you take a step back and think about it rationally, I don't think he was wrong with anything. He said the squad wasn't built for a 60 game season, which is what palace have ended up playing. But how was it going to be? That was the problem. I mean, this is Crystal Palace. Crystal palace had never played this many games in a season. They've never won a trophy, they'd never been in this position before, they'd never been in Europe before other than that tie with Samson Spohr in 1998, which I did attend and against in the Interteto cup. And it was awful but you know, it was complete uncharted territory. So I think the club can be forgiven a certain naivety about how they went into the season. It's completely understandable. I think things will be different going into next year when they go into a Europa League campaign because they, you know, they've obviously experienced it, they know what can happen. I think what Glasner said was actually valid the way he did it and going public and taking everybody by surprise at a time when the club were on this dreadful winless run and had just sold the captain was very, very inopportune and the timing was awful. But actually, in terms of what Glassner did, he'll stick by his principles, those principles. Absolutely he will. And actually when you look back at his managerial career, two and a half years is probably about the length of time that he tends to send at a club anyway. Two and a half to three years. That's almost the life cycle of an Oliver Glasner project. Wolfsburg at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he enjoyed Very good success as well. So I don't think he'll depart with any regrets. In fact, I think his biggest concern probably in mid season was was he going to depart with his reputation enhanced or damaged at that point it was arguably damaged because he was, he was going back, he was opening up old wounds with the, with the board again, it looked as if this was the manager that always ends up fighting with the hierarchy at the club that he's at and that, that isn't good for his reputational going forward. But you know, to emerge from the season having repaired that damage to a sufficiency extent and to have claimed another piece of silverware at a club of Crystal Palace's size, he leaves with his reputation incredibly enhanced and he'll walk into a job when he's ready next season.
- [22:17]
Matt Davis Adams
Could be interesting to see where he pitches up next. But in terms of who comes next for palace, yesterday on the pod, the future of Anthony Iriola was discussed. The leading candidate to come in, Matt. How difficult is it going to be for palace to persuade him? Presumably the win on Wednesday is going to help those, those talks somewhat.
- [22:36]
Matt Woosnam
Certainly the victory over Rayo and being in the Europa League next season has given Palace a massive boost, I think, in their chances of bringing in Andhony Iraola as their new manager. So I think, you know, being able to offer European football, if you, if you couldn't offer him European football, then I think a lot of people will be questioning why would he go to palace, obviously having left Bournemouth and taken them into Europe. So yeah, I think it's obviously not going to be completely easy. It's not guaranteed. There may be other teams that do end up coming in for him who have maybe more prestige and something different to offer than palace, but I think there's probably some good things in there for palace to be able to try to, to tempt him here to, well, not here, but to South London and winning Europa League. Winning Europa League. I'm getting ahead of myself there. Palestine think they, they might go to Europa League. Winning Conference League and being in Europa League is a massive benefit to the club in so many ways, which will then also sit down to being able to pick their new manager and, you know, try and convince them to come.
- [23:44]
Matt Davis Adams
He'd be quite the get, wouldn't he, Domin? I know his options have shrunk slightly, maybe with Man United and Chelsea and Athletic Club teams he's been linked with already appointing managers. Is there anybody else in the frame, do you think? And do you think Areola is The most likely to take it if offered.
- [24:01]
Dom Fifield
I'm amazed that palace might get him. I think he's done an unbelievable job at Bournemouth. I think actually when you think that they finished sixth, that's probably that. And Sunderland's achievements this season are the greatest achievements in the Premier League this season by some distance. I think. I know people will lord Michael Arteta, quite rightly so, for the, for the Premier League success. But to steer Bournemouth, considering the amount of change last summer, I think it was four of his back, five or something from the opening game with Anfield on the last Friday and the Friday at the start of the season were different to the. The team that finished the previous campaign. And it's. That is a remarkable achievement, an absolute remarkable achievement too. I think they're unbeaten since early January as well. And it's just, it's just astonishing what he's done. So for palace to be in the frame to get him is. Is magnificent. But on the basis that there will definitely be interest in him from other suitors, whether abroad or in the uk, they would be mad not to have other people potentially lined up as, as candidates so that there will be other people. They're sounding out and considering. There'll be a short list there. But I think if Iriola wants it and accepts the job, then it's his, basically because I think the attraction of London is probably key to it for him, with a young family wanting to, to experience life in London and maybe his, his. His kids at Spanish school in, in. In the capital as well. But I mean, there'll be Bournemouth fans wondering what he's doing, I'm sure, and, and a lot of people will look at it, particularly if you, you know, if all the suggestions of Milan and Bayer Leverkusen and clubs of this caliber are after him, albeit Milan are in the same competition as Crystal palace next season and Bournemouth for that matter in the Europa League. So maybe that's not quite as appealing as it might have been in normal circumstances. But yeah, I mean, he's the ideal candidate. I think he's a manager that palace will look at and think, well, he's done an incredible job at another Premier League club. He comes Premier League ready. I think when you appoint him, you're going to get three years out of him, and for those three years you probably pretty assured that there will be constant progress at the club, the players will improve and you're not going to be necessarily struggling too badly at the bottom end of the table. And those are big considerations. Even now at a club like palace, who you can't afford to drop out of the division.
- [26:30]
Producer/Announcer
This episode of the Athletic FC is brought to you by Hotels.com when you're booking a hotel, here's a simple question. Why wouldn't you use hotels.com it really is all in the name. As a member, you save up to 20% on hundreds of thousands of hotels around the world and earn rewards on every single stay. Which means the trips you're taking now help pay for the ones you're already dreaming about. And unlike some other places, there are no blackout dates. So when you want to travel, your rewards are ready to go. So whether you're planning a grand adventure to follow your national team around North America this summer, or whisking your special someone away for an escape because you've been glued to the football for weeks, make sure to book@hotels.com and start earning rewards. Because when it comes to hotels, it's simple. Hotels.com it's all in the name.
- [27:21]
Advertiser/Host
It's smart to always have a few financial goals, and a really smart one you can set is earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. After all, you listen to this show. See terms@discover.com creditcard when you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
- [28:18]
Dom Fifield
Foreign,
- [28:21]
Producer/Announcer
you're listening to the Athletic FC podcast with Matt Davis Adams.
- [28:25]
Matt Davis Adams
All right, then, a year later than planned, palace will finally get to compete in the Europa League next season. We've spoke a bit about squad depth, Matt, and we know there's going to be a change in the dugout. There's a lot of work to do to get ready for what's to come next season, where there'll be another big slew of games to come in multiple competitions once more. What is it, 16, 17 if you go all the way to the final?
- [28:46]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, absolutely. Again, a lot depends on what happens this summer. Adam Morton again. He spoke after the game yesterday. Didn't speak about summer Apart from the fact he's going to go on holidays, but it's holidays. It's not going to sit around waiting for Thomas Tuchel to change his mind. Even though Thomas Tuchel probably should change his mind and take him to the World cup and stop him from having that holiday. What happens with him? If palace end up getting a massive bid for him and selling him, then that's a huge amount of money to bring in. And I thought he was absolutely fantastic last night. I think he did win the player of the match and deservedly so. He was the match winning player. Even though we see Mateta scored the goal, he would be incredibly hard to replace, of course. But if Mateta leaves, then they got money from Nat, but again they have to replace him and that's just replacing players they still have to strengthen. We'll see it in defense whether someone comes in for Daniel Munoz, who's been absolutely outstanding as well. So there's lots of places where there's a lot up in the air and it depends on what happens, whether the teams come in for him. It's kind of a good position for palace to be in in a way, but they'll certainly look to strengthen in several areas.
- [29:58]
Dom Fifield
I think we should also remember the squad hasn't been strong enough. The reality is palace finished 15th in the Premier League and I know that was a bit deceptive over the last six games where their priority was very much the Conference League, but did finish 15th. That's the lowest, joint, lowest they've ever finished in this stint in the Premier League. Since 2013, they've won four of their last 23 Premier League matches, which, you know, if they took that form into next season with the onerous clutter of the Europa League as well, then that would be troubling. So they definitely do need to strengthen. Whether they sell players or not. They need more bodies in the building. They need people to be coming in and making being Europa League and Premier League ready. So it's another big summer, not just on the managerial front, but certainly in the recruitment front as well.
- [30:45]
Matt Davis Adams
Matt, you've got a plane to catch, so one more for you before we let you go. As Dom's kind of alluded to there, it needs to be quantity and quality. Right. That's not particularly easy to do, but that's where palace are at.
- [30:56]
Matt Woosnam
Yeah, absolutely. There were times where palace had died. Che Khamida was out. Ismail Assar was at the Africa cup of Nations. Eddie and Ketti had a hamstring problem. They had sold Marc Gaye Sean Philippe Mateta was deliberating whether to go undergo surgery. They had some of their key players, their most important players unavailable. That was a big part of that 11 game winless run was because of those players who are so important to them being out. And obviously that happens over a season. But palace didn't really have the depth. Well, clearly didn't have the depth to recover from that and to then go Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday. Yeah, they absolutely, as Dom rightly says, need bodies in, but they need the right kind of players in to fit their system. And the funds they have are obviously going to be boosted by being in Europa League. That's a big, big bonus for them that they'll be able to spend a bit more money as a result of that. They'll continue to look for bargains. They'll continue with their strategy and of looking at young players who they can develop and eventually sell on for profit. I imagine there will be also looking at a bit of experience. Daichi Kameda may well probably will leave. He hasn't sort of given any indication that he'll sign a new contract. He's out of contract this summer as well. So, you know, there's a lot of players, not just to replace us, but then there's a lot of spaces that they'll need to fill and with experience as well as youth. So they'll need to get that balance right. I think typically they do that. I think in January they didn't go out and sign extremely experienced players who are in their 30s. That's not Palace's style. They're never going to do that anymore. But they probably will get that, try and get that balance between sort of players in their sort of late twenties who are kind of, you know, a bit more expensive to sign and then than the young players who, you know, I think you look at JD Convo and how impressive he's been at the sort of second half of this season in particular, and how he stepped into the role that Mark Gay vacated. They'll be encouraged by that. So they'll look to kind of replicate that kind of transfer where it's a really good bargain, basically.
- [32:58]
Matt Davis Adams
All right, well, big summer for the recruitment team ahead then, Matt, we shall let you catch your flight. Many thanks for your expertise today. We'll catch up with you again soon.
- [33:07]
Matt Woosnam
Thanks very much. See you later.
- [33:10]
Matt Davis Adams
Right then, Dom, couple more for you before I let you go too. We're talking about new recruits. They're going to have to come in and hit the ground running, aren't they you shared your doubts over, say, Jeremy Pino after the FA cup elimination. He's adapted pretty well as the seasons progress, but if you're integrating a new manager as well, you kind of need your, your new recruits to be on it from match day one.
- [33:34]
Dom Fifield
Yeah, you do, you do. You're right. I mean, I think a lot of the players that signed last summer have struggled at times this year, if I'm honest. I mean, Jeremy Pino has become a bit of a nearly man at Palace. I mean, it was typical of his form really what happened in Leipzig where he, you know, wonderful free kick that hits both posts but comes, you know, a goal disallowed against Shakhtar Donetsk by a marginal offside. A goal disallowed against Arsenal on the final day of the season, which would have been an equalizer. Again, disallowed for an offside after it hit a teammate. So he's had a lot of moments which haven't quite gone his way and the hope is that second season syndrome with him is more positive. I mean, some of the others. Brendan Johnson has struggled badly, really badly since joining in January, but I think he found that that move to Tottenham quite disruptive and he's had to settle into new surroundings quite quickly. So I think he will benefit from a pre season under a new manager, maybe a new role slightly in the team, depending on who takes charge. But yeah, they need the reinforcements to make an immediate impact. That's definitely the case, but I think that's the case at any club of, of Palace's size. In the Premier League, money is always relatively tight, so you need the players you do sign to hit the ground running to make that positive impact and to lift the team and carry them forward. So I don't think that's any different. It'll just be probably a few more bodies in the building now they've got a Europa League campaign to look forward to next season as well.
- [35:05]
Matt Davis Adams
There's got to be a sort of realism to it as well, hasn't there? When you pitch into these recruits, I guess like they did with Gay, that you say to them, stay with us for a couple of years, but we will move you on when the time comes. If you've progressed enough to go to a club in the Champions League or competing at the top end of the
- [35:21]
Dom Fifield
table, that is the model. I mean, I don't think the palace model is as well defined as say the Brighton or Brentford models, but that is the principle and that is the selling point. To go to Crystal palace football Club, the club. Steve Paris can turn around to these guys, to any prospective signing, young signing, and say, look, Michael Olise just won the Bundesliga in Germany and he's got to the semi final, the Champions League. Mark Gaze won the FA cup, finished second in the, in the Premier League and you know, he gave us three and three and a half years, whatever it was, four and a half years and was, was magnificent. But we gave him that platform for him to build his career and progress to become England's premier center half ebb. Richieza just won the Premier League title with Arsenal. And they can say, look, you know, he arrived here, he'd had a wonderful, wonderful grounding at Queen's Park Rangers, but it took palace to take him to the next level to develop his skills and become the player he is, the England international that is, he's just won the Premier League. And I think if you've got those, that sort of model there and you can show players, you can demonstrate that it clearly works, then they will be more tempted to join. There's a lot going for palace in, you know, location, the sense that they're established in the Premier League, having been there since 2013 and the fact they've just won three trophies in a year, albeit the manager is now changing. But, you know, you look at it and it feels as if it's a, almost a progressive club that we. And a great place to showcase your skills and to develop. So that'll be. I suspect that they will go back to that model this summer. I mean, January was a bit of an exception because of where they found themselves with the injuries, the, the run of form, a disaffected manager who was making noises that suggested that he might be trying to get the sack and they needed a bit of experience then and there. So Johnson Guesson and Strand Larsen came in with specific roles to play in the team and to help numbers bolster numbers for the Conference League campaign. I think this summer you'll see them signing more players like JD Convo, who, as Matt said, I mean, what a player he is. That kid is 19 and there won't be a better teenage defender in the Premier League. He's had a phenomenal season and he's been allowed to make the occasional mistake at Crystal Palace Football Club that if he had gone to even a villa who were mooted, as you know, suitors last summer, that would have been under the microscope from day one. Oh, he's made a mistake. He's going to go down the pecking order number 5, 6 or 7 in our list of center halves. Well, at Crystal palace, he's ended the season as Mark Gay's replacement and he's played in a European final. And his future looks. I mean, there's no ceiling there.
- [38:04]
Matt Davis Adams
Right, before we go, one more general question. So, both European competitions so far, wonderful by English sides, are you expecting Arsenal to complete the treble? And if they did, how healthy or otherwise would that be for the state of play across European club football?
- [38:21]
Dom Fifield
It would be a remarkable achievement for Arsenal to beat Pitt and Paris Saint Germain on Saturday. They're a different caliber of opponent. An awesome team. The front line to die for in the midfield that just ticks and everything about that. That club now is built towards success on that stage. So it's a massive, massive challenge for Arsenal on Saturday. I mean, they are capable of doing it, but it would still be. I think it would still constitute a surprise if they did beat psg. And would it be healthy? Well, no, I think the rest of Europe would probably turn around and say, no, of course not. It's not healthy at all. You don't want English clubs dominating. They've got all the money, they're now winning all the competitions. I think it will be the first time since 1990 that teams from one country have won all three European competitions. It was a Cup Winners cup back then, but I think it was Italy that did it in 1990. And I think at the time there was a lot of gnashing of teeth in this country about, you know, the cream of British talent going off to Italy. We saw it with Gaza, we saw it with David Platt, you know, players after Italian 19 particular that disappeared from these shores to go and play in Serie A. So it probably is cyclical. It might be longer term now because of the depth of the finances in the English game, but it probably is cyclical. So if you're an English supporter of an English club, it's probably just the time to savour it and just to enjoy it and think what? It would be amazing if England did win all three. I can completely understand why supporters from across the continent would rail at the possibility of teams from one country claiming all three. But as I say, any team that beats PSG deserves to win the Champions League, quite frankly, because they are something else.
- [40:01]
Matt Davis Adams
Well, we're going to be building up to that Champions League final on tomorrow's fc, but that's where we're going to leave things for today. My thanks to Dom and Matt and mostly to you for listening as well. Catch you next time. For now, it's goodbye.
- [40:16]
Producer/Announcer
You've been listening to the Athletic FC Podcast. The producers were Guy Clark, Mike Stavroo and Jay Beale, with editing by Paul Iliffe and Nick Thompson. The executive producer is Ady Moorhead. To listen to other great athletic podcasts for free, including our dedicated club shows, search for the Athletic wherever you get your podcasts. You'll also find us on YouTube at the Athletic FC Podcast, so make sure you subscribe. The Athletic FC Podcast is an athletic media company Production.
- [40:48]
Matt Woosnam
Foreign.
- [40:53]
Producer/Announcer
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