Matt Thacker
Crystal Palace Football Club ended 2025 on a high – FA Cup winners, Community Shield holders, European knockout football secured and sitting in a Premier League European spot.
Belief was high and there was a sense that something special could be brewing. Despite a rocky summer, being demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League, losing Eze and manager Oliver Glasner sharing his frustrations in the transfer market. Palace were still in the strongest position the club had ever been in.
January was meant to be pivotal. Instead, it became a nightmare. It could be the worst month in Premier League history for any club. Fans in disbelief from the highs of 2025. It started strongly though, as the club smashed its transfer record to sign Brennan Johnson for £35 million.
Then the nightmare kicked off with one of the most shocking FA Cup upsets in history – Palace, the holders, knocked out by non-league Macclesfield, a team 117 places below them. A result so incredible it felt like the first crack in what was to become a nightmare month. From that day on, nothing felt steady.
Then came the news every fan dreaded. Captain Marc Guéhi to Man City. Glasner reportedly found out about the move the morning of his press conference, just a day before a Premier League game against Sunderland. Hours later, during the press conference, Glasner announced he would leave at the end of the season and confirmed his captain would also be unavailable. A manager and a captain gone in a single day, you couldn’t write it.
Frustrations boiled over. Glasner had been asking for a centre back to replace Guéhi since the summer. The club hadn’t delivered. After losing to Sunderland, an angry Glasner admitted he and his squad felt abandoned. He sounded less like a manager and more like a fan, airing his frustrations and not holding back.
Days later, he confirmed discussions with chairman Steve Parish had put them back on the same page for now. Many expected Parish to sack Glasner, but that was not the case. From the outside, it seemed they had reached a compromise.
Next came another saga. Jean-Philippe Mateta, Palace’s top scorer and talisman, wanted out. Juventus and Nottingham Forest were first in line. Forest, the very team that had taken Palace’s Europa League spot. That deal eventually fell through, probably for the best, as it would not have gone down well with the fans.
During this period, Palace lined up Jørgen Strand Larsen from Wolves. A reported £50 million deal that stalled. Questions loomed – would Mateta stay, or was a new striker only coming if he left? Palace then signed Evann Guessand on loan from Aston Villa, this showed signs that Mateta’s exit was likely, though his destination remained uncertain.
Just when it seemed the saga paused, AC Milan entered the race, adding another twist to the drama.
Then came Deadline Day mayhem. Palace were the headline on every sports news outlet. Strand Larsen’s record-breaking £48 million move was back on and Mateta was on his way to AC Milan. Palace had their replacement and Mateta content … until disaster struck. He failed his AC Milan medical! A knee injury requiring surgery meaning he would be out for three to four months. AC Milan pulled out and Mateta remains at Palace. Players may understand, but fans will not and his reception likely to be hostile.
In the closing minutes, Palace made a shock bid for Everton winger Dwight McNeil, fans baffled, still no centre back to replace Guéhi. Glasner’s long-standing request for a centre back remains unanswered.
As the window closed, Palace dominated the headlines. No wins in January, a theatrical transfer saga and a squad unclear of the club’s future.
The season isn’t over yet. The aim is simple: turn things around in the Premier League, go for European glory and still have a successful campaign for the history books.
Glasner wanted more options and now he has them. Even without a direct replacement for Guéhi, the squad has greater strength in depth and more options.
January was pure chaos. But if Palace can regroup and deliver on the pitch, this bad spell could still be the start of something remarkable.
