Oliver Glasner confirms what really happened with Dwight McNeil’s failed Everton exit
Dwight McNeil to Crystal Palace was perhaps the biggest saga to come out of deadline day, as the winger ultimately ended up staying at Everton.
McNeil had fallen out of favour at the Toffees, with his minutes and appearances being limited. Everton had thought they negotiated a £20million package for McNeil, but the deal did not go through.
McNeil and his family were devastated, and understandably so, and matters were made worse after reports said Steve Parish had gone “missing” during negotiations.
Now, Oliver Glasner has spoken up for the first time since the failed move, explaining his view of the situation.
Oliver Glasner lifts lid on Dwight McNeil’s failed move to Crystal Palace
McNeil is set to play the rest of the season at Hill Dickinson, but after that, his future will surely be in the air once again.
With Glasner leaving Crystal Palace at the end of the season, it remains to be seen if the London club will come back in for the winger.
At the moment, Moyes clearly does not fancy the player, with him starting just seven games in the Premier League and 10 in total.
The transfer to Crystal Palace was the right move for both McNeil and Everton.
McNeil is no doubt disappointed about the collapse, but Glasner has said he feels just as upset about the ordeal as the player.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Glasner said, “We are all disappointed that this deal didn’t happen, to be honest. I was expecting him here, and I already planned a training session with him. I was told the terms of the deal changed in the last hours, and the time was just too short to get the deal over the goal line.”
The Eagles manager goes on to explain how McNeil was the perfect profile of player that his side is missing at the moment and was looking for.
Everton would be lucky to get near £20m for McNeil again
Receiving £20m for McNeil was a great offer, and Everton could be looking at trying to recoup the same amount of money in the summer.
While McNeil’s contract expires next year, and you would expect him to be cheaper by that point, Everton are seemingly looking at handing McNeil a new contract.
That, of course, would likely be a move to protect his value. However, even in that case, the club could find it hard to find a suitor willing to pay that much.
Crystal Palace were desperate for a signing of his calibre, but similar sides will have more time to prepare and scout options ahead of the summer.