'Oliver Glasner exit alarms at Crystal Palace as Tim Steidten update emerges'

03/20/2025 11:06 AM

Oliver Glasner might be parting ways with Crystal Palace far sooner than expected should Steve Parish make an unexpected decision in the directors’ box.

Glasner was facing sustained pressure at Palace towards the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign, with the Eagles going eight games without a victory in the Premier League.

This left many at Selhurst Park worried about the potential for being relegated to the Championship, but having risen to 12th in the table since, Mick Brown told Football Insider that Palace will prioritise a new deal for Glasner following director of football Dougie Freedman’s exit.

Freedman’s imminent exit has come as a shock to many in South London, leaving the club without a sporting director ahead of an extremely key summer transfer window for the Eagles.

Steve Parish already on the search for Dougie Freedman replacement

Football Insider has now revealed that former West Ham figure Tim Steidten is in pole position to become Palace’s next sporting director, having departed the London Stadium in January.

Parish’s side are in desperate need of a new figure to lead the South London club into the summer transfer window, with major doubts being cast over Marc Guehi’s future at Palace.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has gathered a lot of interest as well, having scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, and the club need someone with a lot of experience to traverse a difficult transfer window at Selhurst Park.

While Steidten’s history with Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham certainly puts his name in the conversation, his recent failings for the Hammers undoubtedly raise some red flags.

In addition to his, the players might not be the only ones to suffer should the 45-year-old be hired as Freedman’s successor, with Steidten having far too many issues with managers during his time in East London.

Oliver Glasner could suffer from toxic relationship with Tim Steidten

Towards the end of David Moyes‘ tenure, Steidten was banned from the West Ham training ground and the first-team dressing room following a fallout, with Mick Brown telling Football Insider exactly why.

This same situation then occurred during Julen Lopetegui’s very short time in charge of the Irons, with rumours circulating that the technical director played a major role in getting David Sullivan to pull the rug.

It was therefore little surprise that once Graham Potter was brought in by the Irons it was Steidten’s turn to leave.

Considering the direction that Palace are currently heading in, attempting to build a new and exciting squad to help climb the Premier League table, this is not the kind of toxic atmosphere between two key figures that would help.

While bringing Steidten to the club ahead of the summer might solve some problems in the short term, it could have dire effects on the all-round feeling at Selhurst Park and cause issues for Glasner further down the line.

Steidten has a poor track record for squad rebuilds and relationship building with managers in his short time working in the Premier League so far, so alarm bells will be ringing among the fanbase, and potentially also in Glasner’s office.

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