Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace and Fulham have sent scouts to watch Fiorentina's 27-year-old Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who is on loan at Manchester United. (Sun), external

Palace, Bournemouth and Burnley are likely to be able to offer QPR defender Jake Clarke-Salter higher wages than Celtic in the battle for his signature, but the Scottish champions hope Champions League football will be enough to tempt the 26-year-old. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column

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Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner says that the bond between wingers Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise warms his heart.

Both attackers have thrived under the Austrian's tutelage, with the Eagles winning six of their last seven games.

Before Sunday's final-day meeting with Aston Villa, Glasner explained that Eze and Olise simply love what they do.

"They stayed 30 minutes after training doing some finishing, trying some tricks," he said in his news conference on Friday.

"You can see how much they enjoy football. Loving what they do.

"Sometimes I just watch them having fun.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League match against Aston Villa.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Midfielder Will Hughes is ruled out after sustaining an injury against Wolves last week and Glasner said: "Will is out for the last game against Aston Villa. It looked terrible on the video – in the game and on the video – but fortunately everything is OK with his ligament. He has a bone bruise and he will be out for several weeks. He should be back for pre-season, but he is out for the last game."

• Jefferson Lerma is back in contention for the match against Aston Villa: "Jefferson Lerma is fit and will come back to the squad, and all others are fit. I’m always pleased if a player comes back from injury. It’s good, but he was out for four weeks now and this was the first week of training, so he has to get back into the rhythm, but it’s good to have him back."

• Glasner says the Eagles are motivated to try and finish the season in the Premier League's top half: "I'm pleased with the performances we've had. We want to win, but Villa wants to win too. We always focus on what we can influence. If we don't do our job, we don't win, we can't be 10th. It's good motivation at home to say thank you to the fans."

• The Austrian believes the positive mood of his players can only benefit their performances: "You can see they are having fun and enjoying it. I like standing outside watching them and how much fun they have. Everyone feels well, likes to come in, in the morning, work hard and have fun together. This is crucial for their performances on the pitch."

Wolves are in the news this week for their pursuit of a vote on the scrapping of VAR.

Their wishes drew further scrutiny on Wednesday when Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon found himself in the middle of a contentious call before offering a strong view on the technology after his side went down at Manchester United.

"Modified" is the word when we are talking about VAR going to a vote.

We are still getting to grips with it, but we have seen some good come from it. There have been some instances of indifferent decisions because calls are getting too many looks at them from so many angles.

They still do not know what is a good tackle and what is not. I think they need help from some former players, who have been in that situation and understand what the differences are in those challenges.

We keep talking about different angles and that is not going to go away because with VAR or without it, on certain challenges we would still disagree. You could have two current players in a room and they still would not agree.

It is Wolves' opinion on VAR and if they feel it is not working for them, then you can understand why they are saying to have a go without it again.

Molineux boss Gary O'Neil has been very frustrated, but he has also been balanced and tried to stay quiet. Now he does not want to stay quiet because he feels it does not benefit them and decisions are not going their way.

Overall, we have seen good things from VAR, even if it does bring with it a delay and a wait.

It would be a shame now for it to all go away when we have all the technology in place.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Here are the key facts and figures before Sunday's game between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in the Premier League.

• Crystal Palace have won more Premier League home games against Aston Villa than they have against any other opponent (seven), including six of their past eight against them at Selhurst Park.

• Following their 3-1 win against them in the reverse fixture - Aston Villa are looking to complete their first league double over Crystal Palace since 1980-81 - when they most recently won the English top-flight title.

• This will be the 12th time Crystal Palace have finished a top-flight season with a home match and they are unbeaten in their previous 11.

• Aston Villa have won just one of the 25 occasions they have finished a league season with an away game (D7 L17), with the one victory a 3-1 win against Chelsea in 2001-02.

Paris St-Germain are considering a move for Crystal Palace's 26-year-old French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Image source, Reuters

Jean-Philippe Mateta is in excellent form at the moment.

The striker has scored 10 goals in his past 12 games and is arguably the most improved player since Oliver Glasner has taken charge of the Eagles.

It is his third full season at Palace but this is the first time he has been able to start a number of games back to back. He has been in every line up that Glasner has named so far and Palace are unbeaten when he is named in attack with Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze since the Austrian was appointed.

Some have wondered whether this is just a purple patch of form but the evidence shows that this could be an exciting time for Palace fans if Mateta is allowed to continue to flourish.

His hold-up play, which started to improve under Roy Hodgson, has been a big asset as Palace build attacks and his finishing is ruthless.

He has the best goals to shots ratio (36%) of any of the Premier League's top 20 strikers. His shot accuracy (72%) is second only to Phil Foden (75%) in that same list.

Mateta has two years left on his contract and the club holds an option to extend for a further year.

There are clubs across Europe interested in the front man but if the Eagles are able to hold onto Mateta, Eze and Olise, it could be an exciting season for Palace fans when August rolls in.

We asked our Crystal Palace fan contributor for their four player of the season choices and you can now vote for your top one.

Image source, Getty Images

Joachim Andersen

The first half of the season was not the best by the Dane, and he will be the first to admit it, but it is difficult to think how we would have done without him this second half of the campaign as we suffered from several defensive injuries. Not only that, but he has come into his own - just like a number of players have under Oliver Glasner.

Jefferson Lerma

The disappointment felt by Bournemouth fans on his departure from the Cherries said a lot, but now we have witnessed the Colombia international with our own eyes. He has been a superb addition, and on a free transfer. A very impressive first season in south London.

Jean-Philippe Mateta

It was difficult to explain how we felt about the Frenchman when he first joined the club. He managed to score some iconic goals along the way, but it is a struggle to name a player who has improved as much as Mateta over the past six months. His ability to hold up the ball and score goals regularly has been nothing short of miraculous!

Adam Wharton

The final choice has been so difficult to make a decision on. It could have been Eberechi Eze, even though he has missed a chunk of the season, or even Daniel Munoz, who has impressed since joining as the first proper wing-back at the club. But Wharton just edges it simply because of how much he has impressed since signing in January. That is only a short time but it says everything.

Pick your 2023-24 Crystal Palace player of the season from our shortlist here

Jay Crame can be found at The Eagles Beak, external

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta believes his recent upturn in form has been down to "changing nothing, playing hard and just being ready" under new manager Oliver Glasner.

Since replacing Roy Hodgson in February, the Austrian manager has named Mateta in his starting line-up for every Premier League match, with the 26-year-old netting 10 goals in 12 games during that time.

In an interview with BBC Sport football news reporter Alex Howell, the striker revealed some of the reasons behind his current form.

"I have changed nothing. I just keep playing hard and being ready, and now they give me my chance," said Mateta.

"I just need my chance to keep playing. I know it is hard - because there is a lot of competition - but I knew when my time came I was going to prove to them that I'm the striker for Palace."

The Eagles are on a six-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, which Mateta believes is down to Glasner's winning mentality.

"He wants to win. He is a winner. He wants to win everything," he said

"When the training is not like what he wants it to be, he says: 'Come on, lads. We need to do better. We are not where we need to be. I need more from you.'

"He doesn't care about the 'big teams'. Even when we play the big teams, he says we go there to win. Against Liverpool, he said we go there for the win. Even against Manchester City, when we lost, he said: 'Guys, we are here to win.'

"He wants to win every single game - and that is what I like."

Mateta also revealed the story behind him shouting "fantastic" into the club's social media camera after every win: "It's from the second coach of Roy [Hodgson] - Ray [Lewington].

"When Ray would do meetings he would say: 'This is fantastic, lads.' I always say it in training to the goalkeeping coaches, Dean Kiely and Paddy [McCarthy], for fun and they are laughing at this.

"I just like it when the atmosphere is good around the dressing room. We do the best job in the world - you can't be sad or angry all the time.

"Yes, when you lose, it's OK. But when you are with your team-mates or the gaffer, for me the atmosphere has to be good."

Michael Olise is a statistical outlier and a match-winner. Unsurprisingly, this isn't a new development.

His debut season in the Premier League was encouraging, with two goals and five assists. Yet, if there was a fear that his substitute appearances and limited minutes distorted his 90-minute contributions, that fear never materialised.

Olise has continued to increase his production year after year. Last season, he exceeded ten assists. In this, he stands at ten goals, in the equivalent of only 13.2 full matches.

There has been no easing back into form, even in an injury-hit season. Against players in his position, he currently stands in the 98th percentile for goals, 92nd for shots on target and 96th for shot-creating actions.

Nor has this been isolated to his time in south London. The then-teenager arrived from Reading off the back of a double-digit assist tally in the Championship, where he was already entrusted with the responsibility of taking set pieces.

So, what makes Olise different? With the speed of his development and the lack of any obvious growing pains or long barren spells, he's been a consistent threat for the entirety of his senior career - a true rarity within the sport.

English academy football produces many rough diamonds and ball-carriers, some of whom have their youth highlights lauded on social media before kicking a ball at a senior level. Olise has his highlight moments, too, but there's the sense that it's just a by product of his route to goal rather than an expression of flair or for attention. It's a means to an end.

On Saturday, Olise dismantled Wolverhampton Wanderers. What's remarkable is that for him, it wasn't even exceptional.

Alex Pewter, FYP podcast, external

Bayern Munich's interest in Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner cooled after the Bundesliga club were told it would cost them £86m in compensation to prise him from Selhurst Park. (Bild - in German - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Crystal Palace are yet to lose a Premier League game under Oliver Glasner when Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta have been named in the starting line-up.

The Austrian boss was able to rely on his full-strength attacking trio once again on Saturday, as they scored a goal each to beat Wolves at Molineux, with Olise also providing an assist for Eze's goal.

In fact, since Glasner arrived, only title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal have picked up more points in the Premier League.

Glasner's predecessor Roy Hodgson bore the brunt of Palace's injury concerns this season when both Eze and Olise were ruled out for periods at the start of 2024.

Because of injuries and suspensions, Hodgson and Glasner have only managed to start all three of their preferred forwards in seven games this season - winning six of those games and suffering just one loss.

In his final 12 Premier League games in charge, Hodgson recorded two wins, three draws and seven losses - with the Eagles' only two victories coming when the trio were named in the English manager's starting line-up.

In his first 12 Premier League games in charge, Glasner has racked up six wins, three draws and three losses - with four of those wins coming when the trio were named in the Austrian manager's starting line-up.

Glasner has got the Eagles soaring again - but it cannot simply be said he has these players more at his disposal than Hodgson did before his departure.

Over the same two time periods, Hodgson named the trio in his starting line-up three times while Glasner has only been able to four times.

It just appears that Glasner has managed to unlock their attacking prowess in a way which proved beyond Hodgson.

And Palace fans are not complaining.

Image source, Getty Images

The sight of a footballer who tucks their shirt in is rare, but of the few who still do, there is no one pulling off this look with more swagger right now than Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Saturday's tap-in against Wolves was his 13th Premier League goal of the season, 10 of which have come in the past 12 games - numbers only bettered by Chelsea's Cole Palmer with 11.

Having scored just seven league goals across his two previous campaigns, there appears to be three possible explanations as to why he has become one of the most talked about players in English football.

Look to social media and it is the tucking in of his shirt.

Journalists (myself included) and pundits will point to either the arrival of manager Oliver Glasner, or the 'assistance' from Ebere Eze and Michael Olise.

I asked the softly spoken Frenchman whether his form was down to 'Glasner ball' - a notion that was swiftly rejected. Instead, he credited the creativity of the whole team, and not just Eze and Olise, for turning him into a confident goal machine.

"When you have chances and you score, it gives a good feeling to the team," he said. "It makes you keep running and you do more and more."

His comments are backed up by the stats. Nine different players have provided assists for Mateta's goal haul this season, with Eze the only one to do it twice.

Understandably this streak will be treated with caution by sceptics. Only time will tell if this will go down as a one-season wonder, or just the start of something special.

Either way Mateta is not feeling any pressure. His self-confessed mantra moving forward is simply to "score more and more. Just score."

We asked for your views on Saturday's match between Wolves and Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your answers:

Wolves fans

Tim: We started with lots of possession but no threat in front of goal. The second half was better, but too late, and generally there were too many errors and too many instances of players moaning at each other. I dread to think what will happen at Liverpool next weekend. Roll on next season - this one is ending with a sour taste in the mouth.

David: They look very disjointed and lacking inspiration.

Simon: Awful game - clueless at times. Hwang didn’t touch the ball until 30 minutes into the game. Best player taken off at halftime, all Cuhna wants to do is throw his arms around and complain, the mentality of some players has shifted drastically from earlier in the season and Gary hasn’t been able to address it…was his head turned by speculation of leaving?

Crystal Palace fans

Rich: Not our best performance but goals came from our three superb forwards. Clyne needs praise for another great performance. One last push for our best finish, amazingly after being told to 'be careful what we wish for'. Fingers crossed for keeping our three strikers together for another season and really see what Glasner can achieve next season.

John: This is the Palace that I have been waiting 50 years for. Always the best team in south London but now onwards and upwards. Oliver's army is here to stay!

Mark: Not our best performance recently but they all count. Hughes going off injured affected us.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's eight Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here.

And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games on Match of the Day 2 here.

Also, listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham United v Luton Town

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea

Crystal Palace will not let manager Oliver Glasner leave in the summer, despite reports linking the 49-year-old to the head coach role at Bayern Munich. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more news? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Crystal Palace won't want the season to end after winning five of their last six games.

Oliver Glasner has completely transformed this Palace side and is giving his attacking players the freedom to go out on the pitch and perform.

It is easy to identify Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze as the two stars in the Eagles' line-up but the contribution of Jean-Philippe Mateta cannot be overlooked.

The Frenchman is in the form of his life and is a handful for any Premier League defender.

His goal in the win over Wolves took his tally to 13 in the Premier League this term - with seven of those coming in his last seven games.

An incredible turnaround in form for the 26-year-old especially since he took 16 games to open his account this term.

Oliver Glasner spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Crystal Palace's victory against Wolves: "It was very tough today, we had a little problem coming into the game. We had the injury to Will Hughes after 10 minutes but we scored two really nice goals in the first half.

"We knew Wolves would try to come back and this is what happened in the second half. We got the third goal. We work very hard as a team. Everyone was here for the team, it was a great effort."

On Ahamada red card: "I have not seen it. It is the decision of the referee and we accept it. We did the best to bring the win home and that's what we did."

On defensive structure: "Everyone talks about our scoring and we create a lot of chances. But we kept the opposite team to less than 10 shots. We have a lot of quality in offence and have runners left and right. The defensive structure was really good today. Everyone wants to score and have good defensive structure. We struggled a bit in set plays but we did everything else well. The win was deserved."

On Olise and Eze: "They have a lot of qualities. They are great players and can score goals. The first goal is Munoz running, giving Olise the chance to run inside and score the goal. The second goal is Clyne makes the sprint in behind. They have the quality but every goal has the guys who create the chances."