Crystal Palace are thought to be interested in signing a “dangerous” new player for Oliver Glasner this summer.
Crystal Palace finding their feet under Oliver Glasner
It has been a busy 2024 at Selhurst Park following a tricky start to the year under former manager Roy Hodgson. The Eagles and Hodgson decided to part ways last month after heavy defeats to Arsenal, Brighton and Chelsea in the Premier League, with Glasner coming in and winning his first game against Burnley.
In his second fixture, the Austrian took his side to Tottenham on Saturday and had a 1-0 lead with just over 15 minutes remaining, only for Palace to lose 3-1 against the top-four hopefuls. Talking after the game, Glasner said: “It’s a disappointing result but a performance that gives us confidence and hope for the next weeks. We gave the goals too easy to Tottenham. You must play perfect to win here. We did well for a long time but should have done it over 95 or 100 minutes.”
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The high earner has cost the club £1.28m-per-goal since joining.
Now eight points clear of the drop zone, Palace will be expecting to be plying their trade in the top flight once again next season, which has resulted in transfer rumours already emerging, despite links of sporting director Dougie Freedman being of interest to Manchester United.
Crystal Palace eyeing Bright Osayi-Samuel move
According to reports in Turkey over the last 48 hours, Crystal Palace are one of the clubs eyeing a move to sign Fenerbahce’s Bright Osayi-Samuel this summer.
Now playing as a right-back, he is ‘having the best scoring period of his career’, netting three times in 14 league appearances, which is attracting interest from the Eagles, alongside Premier League rivals Wolves, Championship side Leeds United and Ligue 1 outfit Rennes. Fenerbahce have previously rejected a €10m offer for Osayi-Samuel, who is under contract until 2025.
Osayi-Samuel appearances by position | Games |
|---|---|
Right midfield | 99 |
Right-back | 64 |
Right-winger | 52 |
Left midfield | 30 |
Left-winger | 19 |
Centre-forward | 6 |
Attacking midfielder | 6 |
Osayi-Samuel, a Nigeria international, previously played in England with Queens Park Rangers before leaving for Fenerbahce in 2021. During his time at QPR, his manager Mark Warburton described him as a “dangerous” player, and he starred alongside Eberechi Eze, who hailed Osayi-Samuel in 2020, saying: “Me and Bright weren’t in the same school team. We were in the same district team. It’s a blessing because you don’t usually get to work with people you’ve grown up with.
“He’s like a brother to me, so it’s good to share the field with him and it makes everything we do even more special.”
Since moving to Turkey, Osayi-Samuel has plied his trade as a full-back, with The Athletic’s Nick Miller saying the 26-year-old is no longer a “flying winger” and instead “one of the best right-backs in Turkey”.
Therefore, Palace and Glasner could see Osayi-Samuel as a possible long-term replacement for Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne, while also being able to offer a more attacking option if needed, making this one to watch.
