From FA Cup winners to a January crisis - what has happened to Crystal Palace?

Martin Macdonald

21 Jan 2026 12:15 GMT
6 min read

For many Crystal Palace fans young and old, the 2025 FA Cup final was the best day of their lives.

The Eagles headed into the match as major underdogs against the might of Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, yet they managed to claim the famous trophy after an unlikely 1-0 win.

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Eberechi Eze was the hero of the day, arriving late into the penalty area to sweep a strike home in the 16th minute. Palace had to hold on for the majority of the game, but they remained solid and secured their clean sheet and the first FA Cup in the club's history.

A matter of weeks later, Eze departed the club for Arsenal and the downfall of this historic side had begun. What many Eagles fans would not have anticipated, though, was the speed that things fell apart.

Palace supporters, of course, are not naive to the ways of the market. When a top talent arrives at Selhurst Park, it's a matter of time before they're snatched by an elite side. Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise, Eze and now Marc Guehi have all burned bright at Palace before moving onto bigger things.

But the exit of Eze to Arsenal has been the catalyst for a massive collapse that leaves the club on the verge of a full-blown crisis just a matter of months after their brightest day.

Oliver Glasner has revealed this will be his last season at @CPFC 🦅 pic.twitter.com/Erolf9hiHP
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 16, 2026

Wantaway Oliver Glasner

Manager Oliver Glasner still has plenty of credit in the bank after leading Palace to their first major trophy, but even he has had enough.

Following the news that club captain Marc Guehi was joining Manchester City this month, Glasner did not mince his words.

"I feel we are being abandoned completely," he told the BBC following a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland.

"We have 12, 13 players from the squad available and we feel no support.

"The worst thing is selling our captain one day before playing a Premier League game."

© Man City - Marc Guehi joined Man City this January

There are two ways to look at this: Glasner is simply being truthful and is begging the Palace board for reinforcements. Or, he has had his head turned by the reports linking him to the vacant Manchester United post.

Either way, those were the words of a man at the end of his tether.

It's not outrageous to suggest that he shot those barbs at the board fully knowing he may be sacked, which would open up his availability to the Red Devils - even if Michael Carrick is in temporary charge until the end of the season.

Glasner has already informed the club that he has no intention of signing a new contract before his deal expires in the summer, so how can January reinforcements be planned?

A worrying exodus

Glasner can, therefore, have no complaints about his players wanting to leave. Fabrizio Romano has reported that striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has informed the club that he wants to go in this January transfer window.

He is being courted by Aston Villa and Juventus, among numerous other sides.

With Mateta, Palace face a similar quandary to the Guehi situation. They were eventually forced to sell their captain for a cut-price €23 million fee rather than losing him for free at the expiration of his contract.

🚨🇫🇷 Jean-Philippe Mateta and his camp have informed Crystal Palace about desire to leave the club.

Following talks with Aston Villa and Juventus, Mateta hopes for January move with decision now in Palace hands.

Negotiations remain ongoing. pic.twitter.com/2QXj0uuuxO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 21, 2026

Mateta's contract runs until the summer of 2027, but his demand to leave Palace this month is a clear indication that all is not well behind the scenes. The Londoners can cling grimly to the France international until the summer, but then his departure seems inevitable.

Adam Wharton is likely to be similarly positioned. While he has not ruffled any feathers, interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid is likely to be too much for Palace to resist.

Palace on the pitch

The off-field issues facing the club have crept onto the park, with the field of their greatest triumph, the FA Cup, encapsulating their disintegration, eliminated by National League North side Macclesfield in one of the biggest ever cup upsets.

While they are still 13th in the Premier League, they have been sliding down the standings at an alarming rate due to a wretched run of form. Alarm bells are ringing. They are without a win in their last seven league games and 10 in all competitions.

🥹 Commentary fitting of the greatest FA Cup shock ever. 🫡

What a moment for Macclesfield. @5liveSport pic.twitter.com/tmhFTEIb5l
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 10, 2026

The relegation spots are still 11 points distant, but with the squad in turmoil, the manager in open rebellion against the board and top players pushing to leave, this cushion is not as comfortable as it may seem.

Palace are in crisis: and things look likely to get worse before they get better again.

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