Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace reign concluded in cinematic fashion: a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Europa Conference League final, delivering the club's first European trophy and securing a place in next season's Europa League. The triumph in Leipzig was the final chapter of a 12-month period that redefined the South London club, transforming it from perennial Premier League survivors into serial silverware winners. Yet the path to glory was anything but smooth, marked by boardroom clashes, near-mutiny, and a winter crisis that threatened to unravel everything.
The foundation for this unforgettable year was laid in the FA Cup final, where Palace stunned Manchester City at Wembley to end a 120-year wait for a major trophy. That historic day in May was supposed to propel the club into the Europa League, but UEFA's multi-club ownership ruling demoted them to the Conference League because co-owner John Textor also held a stake in Lyon. Chairman Steve Parish called it "one of the greatest injustices in European football," and an appeal failed, forcing Palace to swallow a bitter pill before the new campaign even began.
Rather than sulk, Glasner's side started the season by beating Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield, another statement of intent. But the summer quickly soured. Talisman Eberechi Eze departed for Arsenal in a record sale, stripping the squad of its creative fulcrum. Then the transfer window delivered its most dramatic episode: captain Marc Guehi was on the verge of a move to Liverpool, only for the deal to collapse on deadline day when Palace's attempt to sign Brighton's Igor Julio as a replacement fell through.
The Guehi saga exposed deep fractures behind the scenes. Glasner, already frustrated by the club's willingness to sell prized assets, reportedly threatened to resign if Parish sanctioned the defender's sale. It was a bold power play from a manager in the final year of his own contract, and it hinted at the tensions that would soon boil over.
As autumn turned to winter, Palace plunged into a calamitous run of form. A 12-game winless streak across all competitions dragged them from European contention to the fringes of a Premier League relegation battle. The nadir came in the FA Cup third round, where non-league Macclesfield inflicted one of the biggest shocks in the competition's history, knocking out the holders. The magic of the previous May felt like a distant memory.
In early January, Glasner stunned Selhurst Park by announcing he would leave at the end of the season. The decision followed the club's agreement to sell Guehi to Manchester City, a move the manager interpreted as a betrayal of their shared ambitions. In a terse press conference, Glasner accused the hierarchy of "completely" abandoning the team, and the civil war that ensued left fans wondering if he would even see out the campaign.
Yet Parish, recognizing that Glasner's emotional volatility was also the source of his tactical genius, refused to sack him. That calculated gamble paid off spectacularly. Slowly, the Austrian steadied the ship, rediscovering the high-pressing, intricate patterns that had made Palace so potent. The Conference League campaign became a lifeline, and the team navigated the knockout stages with growing belief.
The final in Leipzig was a microcosm of Glasner's tenure: resilient, organized, and clinical when it mattered most. After the trophy was lifted, midfielder Adam Wharton summed up the transformation: "He has got to be one of the best managers Crystal Palace have ever had. He has made a massive difference for how the club looks at competitions. We are not just looking to stay in the Premier League and be in Europe, we are looking to win and be as high as possible."
Glasner's farewell at Selhurst Park a few days earlier had lightened the mood, as he jokingly disagreed with Parish over whether the FA Cup final or the Conference League final was the club's best day. "The best day is still to come in Leipzig," he had said, a prediction that proved correct.
The Conference League trophy earns Palace entry into the Europa League next season, achieving the very goal that UEFA's ruling had snatched away a year earlier. For a club once content with mid-table stability, the shift in mentality under Glasner is seismic. The 12 months may have oscillated between agony and ecstasy, but they have firmly placed Crystal Palace on the European map—and forced a rethink of what is possible at Selhurst Park.
As Glasner departs, the legacy he leaves is not merely three trophies in 375 days, but a belief that Palace can now consistently compete on multiple fronts. The next chapter will be written without him, but the spine of the squad and the memories of this glorious campaign will endure.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.
