Glasner praises Academy setup and outlines pathway for progress

First-team

13 Sep 2024

Speaking ahead of the clash against Leicester City on Saturday, Oliver Glasner was full of praise for Palace’s Academy prospects and the pathway the club has to offer them.

“Everyone will be very important and play a big part for us, because we reduced the number of players [in the squad]" the manager explained.

“We now have 20 outfield players plus three goalkeepers in our squad, which we wanted to reduce [in the summer]. To be honest, [to get] more than 50 games would be outstanding from these 20 players, but we need them in their best shape, we need them fit, and that's why everyone gets all our support.

“We also need it from the players' side, but I'm really, really pleased with their character.”

The manager then went on to reveal that Franco Umeh would be in the squad tomorrow after training with the first-team: “Yeah, it’s great [to have him training with us].

"So, when we have an Irish Under-21 national player in our Academy, I think it's also our job to give him a chance to show [what he can do] in first-team training, and even to get some minutes, maybe in the Premier League.

New Signing's Nketiah, Chalobah, and Turner's First Session | CCTV

“It's up to him to improve, because he's still 19, but he has a lot of talent, and it’s the same with Caleb [Kporha]. We have Asher Agbinone and Mofe Jemide with us also this week, and they also played in our friendly game last week.

“And if you have 25-26 players in the first-team, how should somebody from the Academy get the chance to get minutes? It's just impossible maybe when you have such outstanding talent, but then you're already part of the first-team squad.

“So that was also a decision we took with a lot of thought, to say, ‘Okay, let's reduce the numbers so our young players get the chance.’ And if they are not ready to play 10-15 minutes in the Premier League, when you're 20 and you're not able to play 20 or 15 minutes in the Premier League... it's very, very tough for you to become a Premier League player in the future.”

Furthering his focus on the young talent in the Academy, the manager then explained what it takes to be capable of playing in the Premier League: “It's easy, you have to be better than the other one [in your position]!

“[It’s the same] for Trevoh Chalobah, like [Maxence] Lacroix, like [Ebere] Eze, like Marc Guéhi. It's the same for Franco Umeh and for all the others [in the Academy] too. You express yourself, be yourself, show your strengths.

“There is a reason why you are in the Academy for many years, there is a reason why you are in the Under-21s.

“Yes, then you have to adapt, to adjust to Premier League football, but you can't adapt to anything in life if you don't get the chance for it. Now we can talk about the qualities: Franco has such pace, a left foot, he can run up and down. He has to improve a little bit tactically, he has to improve technically, maybe in decision-making.

“So it's a different speed when we have a player running in the Under-21s, so he needs this [first-team training] to develop and this is what we will give him. And when we think they are ready, then they will get the minutes.”

Finally, when comparing his home nation of Austria to the capital, the manager offered an insight into how he was informed about the hotbed of talent in south London.

“In London there are as many people as in the whole of Austria. Within 40 miles here we have the same amount of people as Austria! So if we speak about South London, we speak about a quarter of the Austrian population.

“This was also something we talked about when I met Chairman Steve Parish for the first time. He explained to me Crystal Palace. He explained to me South London - the many, many talents here.

“He also explained the plan of the club to give all these talents an education and a home. This also I think was the reason why the Academy was built three or four years ago. And we can see it. We have T [Tyrick Mitchell] here who is also the one from the Academy. We also had Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

“[There are] so many talents here, but now it's our job to give them the right environment, to support them and also to push them to play for the first team.”

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