Glasner Surprised by Liverpool’s Summer Spending Ahead of Shield Clash

Palace Boss Weighs in on Reds’ Ambitious Recruitment Drive

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has expressed surprise at the scale of Liverpool’s summer transfer activity, acknowledging their bold statement of intent ahead of their Community Shield encounter. The Reds have reportedly committed around £295 million to new signings, bolstering their squad with players like Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong.

Liverpool’s Aggressive Transfer Stance

The reigning Premier League champions are rumoured to be far from finished, with reports suggesting continued interest in striker Alexander Isak, following a rejected £110 million bid from Newcastle United. Furthermore, Liverpool are actively seeking a new centre-back, with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi being monitored as a potential target, especially with Jarell Quansah‘s move to Bayer Leverkusen confirmed.

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has reacted to Liverpool’s summer spending ahead of facing the Reds in the Community Shield.

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— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) February 25, 2025

Glasner Admits Surprise at Reds’ Ambitions

“Liverpool have obviously invested heavily this year with Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Frimpong and Kerkez,” Glasner commented. “I don’t know if they’ll bring in Isak now too. They’ve been playing at this level for years, so I have to say I was a bit surprised that they were so active, but of course it also shows their ambitions.”

“I think you can always clearly see a club’s ambitions in the transfer market. And it seems that Liverpool fc isn’t satisfied with just winning the English league; I think they want to win the Champions League. And they obviously saw that we needed to add one or two things to the squad, and they made that very clear and explicit early on this summer.”

—Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace Manager

Title Aspirations Among Top Clubs

Glasner identified Liverpool as one of the primary contenders for the upcoming Premier League title, alongside Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea. He noted that four or five clubs have significantly increased their spending. For context, Manchester City’s investment this summer is reported to exceed €300 million, with Liverpool and Arsenal following suit, indicating a clear desire for top honours. According to the Deloitte Football Money League 2024, Manchester City and Liverpool were among the top revenue-generating clubs globally, demonstrating their financial power.

Palace’s Own Transfer Market Concerns

In contrast to Liverpool’s substantial outlay, Glasner expressed dissatisfaction with Crystal Palace’s own transfer window activity. The Eagles have so far only secured the services of Walter Benitez on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven and Borna Sosa for £3 million from Ajax. “Even though all the players are still here, we haven’t made the most of the transfer window so far,” Glasner admitted to Kronen Zeitung. “I was promised that we would be more active and bring in the new players earlier this year. As of now, I have 17 outfield players! I hope we don’t lose any more.”