Oliver Glasner breaks silence: why Crystal Palace contract renewal is on hold

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has revealed the reason behind his contract renewal delay, amid rumours of a potential exit in the summer.

Glasner, who led Palace to a historic first major FA Cup and Community Shield trophy in 2025, securing a domestic double in his first season in the English top flight, is reportedly stalling new contract talks with the club.

However, other reports suggest that the club chiefs are in constant communication with the Austrian manager over a contract renewal, with his current contract set to expire at the end of this season.

Speaking to the press ahead of Palace’s Conference League clash at home to Finnish side KuPS Fc at Selhurst Park, the 54-year-old explained the reasons behind the delay on his contract renewal:

“We just didn’t talk about it.

“The chairman was in the USA last week.

“We played away games at Burnley, Dublin, we had to stay one night longer there, we play tomorrow evening and on Friday we fly to Leeds, we can’t fly back so we have to stay until Sunday, and on Tuesday we go to the Emirates, so when should I talk about my contract?

“So that’s why we say, let’s push it backwards when we have time, so it’s not between three meetings which take 10 minutes time.

“We want to do it in a relaxed atmosphere, and at the moment, there is no relaxed atmosphere. That’s why we pushed it back.”

When further asked about the balance and workload of the team, combining Europe with one eye on the Premier League encounter against Leeds on Saturday, Glasner responded: “No player will start KuPS and Leeds.

“I and we all feel responsible for the players’ welfare.

“The intensity of the game increased. Maybe you can do it once. But it’s our 25th, 26th game and we have to think further [ahead].

“It’s irresponsible if we do this [start players in both games].

“We will start with two completely different teams. But of course the minutes will be shared a little bit.

“Normally I don’t like to do this in competitive games, we always like to play the best team from the first until the last minute but the schedule demands this from us.”