Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner may soon receive the reinforcement he has been asking for after his side let another lead slip, marking their second collapse in just three days.
The Eagles fell 2-1 to Manchester United at Selhurst Park on Sunday, only days after losing to RC Strasbourg in the Conference League. Glasner has repeatedly voiced frustration about the club’s lack of summer investment, warning that a thin squad is struggling to cope with the fixture load. Jean-Philippe Mateta once again supplied Palace’s goal, but the situation worsened when Ismaila Sarr was forced off with an injury.
With fatigue growing and options dwindling, Glasner has made it clear that new signings are essential — and fresh reports hint that help might be on the way.
Palace eyeing exciting Championship talent
According to the Daily Mail, Palace are monitoring Watford winger Rocco Vata, though Fulham and several major European clubs are also tracking the highly rated 20-year-old.
Writer Simon Jones describes Vata as “elite,” noting that Atalanta and Eintracht Frankfurt have already scouted him. Watford value the young Irish international at around £20 million.
Vata joined Watford from Celtic last year and contributed four goals and four assists in his debut Championship campaign. He made six senior appearances for Celtic before his move and remains under contract at Vicarage Road until 2028, with an option for an additional season. Though currently sidelined with a significant hamstring injury that may keep him out until the new year, a January move is reportedly still possible.
A reminder of Palace’s summer shortcomings
Vata fits the mould of promising Championship recruits Palace have successfully developed in recent years — players like Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Adam Wharton — but his potential arrival also spotlights the club’s failure to strengthen over the summer.
Speaking after the defeat to United, Glasner said:
“These players give everything every day to stay fresh, but we missed the chance to back this group in the summer. We should have added one or two more players. We knew it, we spoke about it, but we didn’t act.”
He stressed the challenges of losing Sarr to the Africa Cup of Nations next month, admitting the squad lacks another player with the winger’s attributes. While Glasner insisted he accepts the responsibility of finding solutions, he noted that the club’s summer inactivity has made a difficult schedule even harder.
He also hinted that winter signings would simply be correcting avoidable mistakes: business that should have been done months ago.
A demanding schedule ahead
Before any January deals can materialise, Palace face a brutal stretch of eight games in four weeks. They still have two Conference League group fixtures remaining, along with Premier League meetings against Burnley, Fulham and Manchester City. A Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Arsenal also looms before Christmas.
It’s the kind of schedule that will put significant pressure on Glasner’s already stretched squad — and may accelerate the club’s efforts to bring in reinforcements like Vata.