Crystal Palace's final game of the Premier League season perfectly summed up the Oliver Glasner era to date: fast, exciting and terrifying for the opposition.
The Austrian manager has turned what was a lifeless and easy-to-beat team under former boss Roy Hodgson into one of the most dynamic and ruthlessly effective sides in the league, one that has won seven and drawn four of its last 14 games.
Of course, the former Frankfurt boss has been helped by some of the incredible talents in the squad, such as Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, and Jean Philippe Mateta, but he should also thank Hodgson for signing off on Adam Wharton and another January arrival who has proven himself to be important.
Adam Wharton's impact at Palace
Arriving at the end of the winter window, there was a lot of excitement surrounding the £22m signing of then 19-year-old Wharton from Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
The "English Cambiasso," as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, made 51 first-team appearances for Rovers before leaving. In those, he scored four goals and provided five assists, and despite his age, he went straight into the Eagles' midfield.
So far, the 20-year-old has made 16 appearances for the south Londoners, already providing three assists, and despite seeing the manager change very early on, he's looked like a player who has belonged in the top flight from the word go.
Appearances
51
16
Goals
4
0
Assists
5
3
Goal Involvements per Match
0.17
0.18
When talking about the midfield maestro, Glasner described him as "amazing" and an "excellent football player" who's set for "a fantastic career", which is an opinion hard to argue against when the Blackburn ace already sits in the top 6% of midfielders for tackles and the top 12% for assists, per FBref, which compares players in similar positions throughout Europe's top five leagues.
However, while the "complete midfielder", as described by Kulig, is getting plenty of justified praise, another January signing has been just as integral to Glasner's revolution.
Daniel Muñoz's impact at Palace
Of course, the player in question is the Eagles' other winter signing, Daniel Munoz, who joined the side for around £7m from Belgian side Genk.
The 27-year-old was brought in to replace the ageing and ineffective Nathanial Clyne at right-back, who has just one goal and nine assists to his name in 219 appearances for Palace.
While the Colombian's arrival received less media attention than Wharton's, there was still hope that he'd help inject some more attacking impetus to the side, as he had scored seven goals and provided two assists in his 29 games before moving.
It did take the Amalfi-born ace a few games to adapt to English football, but since then, he has registered four assists in 16 appearances and even started a majority of his games on the right-hand side of midfield to help maximise his attacking ability.
According to FBref, the Colombian sits in the top 3% of full-backs for tackles, the top 6% for assists, the top 7% for touches in the opposition's penalty area, interceptions, and blocks, the top 9% for aerial duels won, and the top 14% for non-penalty expected goals and assists.
Tackles
3.44
Top 3%
Assists
0.25
Top 6%
Touches in the opposition's penalty area
2.63
Top 7%
Interceptions
1.50
Top 7%
Blocks
1.81
Top 7%
Aerial Duels Won
1.63
Top 9%
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.23
Top 14%
Clearances
2.94
Top 16%
Expected Assists
0.15
Top 17%
Shot-Creating Actions
2.88
Top 17%
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
0.08
Top 20%
Ultimately, the all-action full-back has firmly established himself in Glasner's first team, and his ability to make things happen on the right-hand side will likely see him keep that place for some time to come.
Crystal Palace star is becoming Glasner's best player alongside Olise & Eze
The incredible ace has been in superb form this season.
ByJack Salveson HolmesMay 9, 2024
