Glasner Explains Why Christantus Uche Was Omitted From Crystal Palace Conference League Squad

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has opened up on his decision to leave Super Eagles midfielder Christantus Uche out of the club’s revised UEFA Conference League squad, revealing he held a direct conversation with the Nigerian to explain the call.

The decision was not performance-related, but shaped by squad registration rules and January arrivals at Selhurst Park.

Palace were limited to a 24-man list because they have only three club-trained players available for Europe.

With new signings Brennan Johnson, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Evann Guessand all needing to be registered, one player had to step aside. Uche was the unfortunate casualty.

“Some have to be association-trained, some have to be club-trained,” Glasner said.

“Caleb Khorha is in the squad because he fulfils this regulation, and that means we could change just three players. We brought in three new signings, all attackers. I see Uche clearly as a No 9, and we have Strand Larsen and Eddie Nketiah. It was to have a good balance in the team, and I couldn’t drop an attacker to add a false nine. He was disappointed, but I always explain my thoughts and reasons. He accepted it and trained well.”

The 22-year-old joined Palace on a season-long loan from Spanish side Getafe CF last summer, arriving with promise but finding opportunities hard to come by. Across all competitions, he has started only three matches and clocked 491 minutes of football.

Europe had offered him a stage to make his case. In December, he struck in a 3-0 win over Shelbourne and followed it up with a superb finish in the 2-2 draw against KuPS. That effort earned him the Palace’s Goal of the Month award for December after securing 75.6 per cent of the fan vote.

Yet the numbers in the Premier League tell a different story. His loan agreement includes an obligation-to-buy clause that would be triggered if he started 10 league games this season.

With competition intensifying and his name now absent from the European roster, that benchmark appears increasingly unlikely.

Strand Larsen’s £43 million arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers has further crowded the attacking ranks, while Jean-Philippe Mateta is expected back before the campaign ends. The path into regular first-team action looks narrow.

Unless circumstances change dramatically, Uche is poised to return to Getafe at the end of the season.