“You can feel that tradition” – Oliver Glasner raves to the Austrian press, doesn’t sound done with Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has been the subject of rumours regarding a move to RB Leipzig in the past few weeks.

There were suggestions earlier this month that contact has already been made between the two parties, with the German club interested in hiring Glasner as a replacement for Marco Rose.

The 50-year-old is enjoying life at Crystal Palace, and the Austrian media have repeatedly stated he’s happy in England. In an interview with Kronen Zeitung ahead of the Eagles’ FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa, the Austrian made clear he appreciates the English game a great deal.

He had praise for the traditions in English football, and explained his thoughts when asked about the FA Cup.

Glasner stated: “I also notice the importance of the FA Cup here. This is also demonstrated by the fact that both semi-finals are being played at Wembley and are sold out with 90,000 spectators.

“It’s simply culture here. You notice it not only in football, but very much in the FA Cup. In the second round, we played against a fourth-division team. It was a Monday evening, it was two degrees, the rain was pouring down horizontally, but the stadium was sold out with 15,000 fans.”

Lauding the footballing culture in England further, he stated: “You can really feel the tradition there! This week, more media came to the semi-final press conference than to the league derby we had against Arsenal. But this cup is the oldest football competition in the world – with over 600 teams.”

That should be seen as a good sign by Crystal Palace, who are currently 12th in the table. Despite a slow start to the season, they have recovered very well and their manager deserves due credit for it.

They can still finish inside the top ten and perhaps, that can act as good motivation for Glasner to stay at the London club.

Given his clear appreciation for football in England, RB Leipzig may have a more difficult job convincing him than some in the German media seem to assume.

An FA Cup would obviously elevate Glasner’s stature further.