ADAM Wharton hailed the “incredible” impact Oliver Glasner made at Crystal Palace including shifting the club’s mindset about competitions after the Austrian led the Eagles to a third trophy in two seasons with their 1-0 win against Ray Vallecano in the Uefa Conference League final in Leipzig on Wednesday night.
Jean-Philippe Mateta completed his redemption with the only goal in the 51st minute. The French striker angered Palace fans when he was close to a move to AC Milan in January.
Palace were deserved winners in Glasner’s last game in charge as Inigo Perez’ La Liga side struggled to really trouble goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Glasner has led the Eagles to an FA Cup win and Community Shield victory, and has now added the third major trophy in the club’s history.
“The difference he has made in two-and-a-half years is incredible,” Wharton said. “Three trophies for Palace, the first three in the history of the club.
“Our first European competition and winning it – it’s unbelievable. He has got to be one of the best managers Palace have ever had.
“He has made a massive difference to how the club looks at competitions.
“We are not just looking to stay in the Premier League or to be in Europe, we are looking to win it and be as high as possible.”
Wharton’s own celebrations were disrupted for the second time in two finals after he went off with concussion late in Palace’s 1-0 win against Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup decider.
“I’m definitely going to make up for it this year, 100 per cent,” he said, laughing. “You can’t put the feeling into words. It’s incredible. You can see what it means for South London. It’s unbelievable.
“I have two celebrations to catch up on. I’ve got the doping test unfortunately, which ruins my party a little bit. But hopefully, I can get that done quickly and get on the beers!”
Meanwhile, Wharton was asked about his omission from England’s World Cup squad, one of several controversial decisions taken by Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.
“That’s just part of football,” Wharton said. “It was never a guarantee I was going to go. I knew that.
“When he called me, he just told me I wasn’t there. He said it was close. But yeah, like I said, that’s football. I’m not going to sit here and cry about it.
“Still had two games for Palace to go. Obviously tonight being a massive one, I don’t really dwell on those things too much. It’s not the end of the world. I’m still young.
“Hopefully there’s other tournaments and World Cups that I can go to in the future. But yeah, I was just focused on Palace and coming here and getting the win, which we have done.
“I’m glad with that and I’ve got a couple places booked to go [on holiday], but I’m just going to enjoy my summer and tonight.”
