Oliver Glasner said goodbye to Crystal Palace by leading them to the club’s first European trophy on Wednesday night.
Oliver Glasner had already been offered an immediate return to the managerial role after he led Crystal Palace to the Conference League in his last game as Eagles boss.
Glasner had confirmed his departure from Palace earlier in the season, after an incredible two-year spell that produced memorable triumphs in the FA Cup and Community Shield at Wembley.
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However, the Austrian gave Palace fans a very special day when the team faced Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final in Leipzig on Wednesday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal of the game five minutes after half-time, securing Palace’s first-ever European trophy and a place in next season’s Europa League – the perfect farewell for Glasner.
Glasner, arguably Palace’s greatest manager of all time, has a contract that expires on June 30.
Nevertheless, the 51-year-old could soon make a comeback as a coach, because according to journalist Nicolo Schira, Bayer Leverkusen have made contact.
Glasner is highly rated in Germany after his spells at Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, where he won the Europa League in 2022.
Leverkusen hired former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag last summer, but the Dutchman had a disastrous spell and was sacked after just three games.
Former Danish national team manager Kasper Hjulmand was brought in as Ten Hag’s replacement and led Leverkusen to sixth place.
Despite an impressive turnaround, Hjulmand is not expected to continue as manager, and Leverkusen are looking for a successor.
According to Fabrizio Romano, former Flamengo manager Filipe Luis was a leading candidate, but he looks set to take the managerial job at AS Monaco. That means Glasner is in the running for what looks set to be a fresh start for a team where the Champions League triumph under Xabi Alonso in 2023/24 feels like a long time ago.
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Crystal Palace have identified the dream candidate to replace Oliver Glasner
Palace have known about Glasner’s departure for a long time and have been working to find a suitable replacement.
Former Tottenham and Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been mentioned as a candidate, as has Coventry manager Frank Lampard after he stormed through the Championship and secured promotion to the Premier League.
But Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Andoni Iraola will be the new Palace manager after he turned down the opportunity to coach AC Milan.
With his family in place, Iraola wants to stay in England after leading Bournemouth to a historic sixth-place finish and Europa League football in his final season.
He should not be convinced of the project in dormant big team AC Milan, who finished fifth in Serie A.
Like Glasner, Iraola will also soon be released after his time at the Vitality Stadium is over.
The BBC reports that Iraola is Palace’s first choice to replace Glasner, and the club has made an offer with a deadline over the weekend.
The Spaniard, who also coached AEK Larnaca and Rayo Vallecano before taking the Bournemouth job, is one of the most exciting coaches in today’s football, and his high-intensity style has admirers all over the world.
