CRYSTAL Palace are set to back under-pressure boss Oliver Glasner and target an attacker in the January transfer window.
The Eagles have won only one of their eleven Premier League games this season. There were signs of hope when they followed up their 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park with a 2-2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But their 2-0 defeat at home to Fulham before the international break has put the spotlight back on Glasner’s position.
Palace are eighteenth in the table and only bottom side Southampton (seven) have scored fewer than their eight goals.
Glasner’s side haven’t been the same force as they were at the end of last season when they won six of their last seven league games. They had a thrilling attack of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored a combined eighteen goals in those games.
Palace lost France international Olise to Bayern Munich for £60million and their attack hasn’t been the same. Mateta has scored three league goals this season and Eze only one.
Eddie Nketiah, a £25million summer signing from Arsenal, has yet to get off the mark in the league after eight games.
Two other summer attacking recruits, Ismaila Sarr and Daichi Kamada, have also yet to score in the league this season.
Palace sold Joachim Andersen to Fulham for £30million in the last window and Glasner is set to be provided with some of those funds in January.
The Palace hierarchy are understanding of the difficulties that Glasner has faced this season. Glasner was forced to pair centre-back Marc Guehi with debut midfielder Justin Devenny in the defeat to the Cottagers. Kamada was sent off in that game and will serve a three-match ban.
Palace’s next three fixtures are against Aston Villa (A) this Saturday, Newcastle United (H) and Ipswich Town(A).
Meanwhile, former Palace assistant manager Keith Millen is the new boss of AFC Croydon Athletic.
The Isthmian League South East Division side are owned by former Eagles attacker Wilfried Zaha.
Millen assisted Ian Holloway, Neil Warnock and Alan Pardew at Selhurst Park.
Millen said: “I’ve worked with Wilf when we were at Crystal Palace together. That was probably the main reason for joining. I’m a Croydon boy anyway. Crystal Palace is my team, but after that, Croydon is my area, so that got me interested.
“It fits in to where I am in my coaching and management pathway because I work now with the PFA in this region. When I took that job I said I still wanted to coach myself.
“That’s my real love. This role being part-time fits very well with my PFA work and is a great opportunity for me to work with players that I’ve worked with before.”
