Oliver Glasner replacement: Crystal Palace 'open talks' with unemployed coach as winning blueprint on course to repeat

Crystal Palace are in search of a manager to succeed departed boss Oliver Glasner, with Eintracht Frankfurt's former head coach Dino Toppmoller reportedly identified as one of the candidates for the role.

Earlier this year, Glasner confirmed he would be stepping down at the end of the season, bringing the curtain down on an over two-year spell at the club following his appointment in February 2024.

The Austrian oversaw his final game in charge on Wednesday, guiding the Eagles to their first-ever European triumph with a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final in Leipzig.

That achievement marks a third trophy under Glasner, who led Palace to their first-ever major honour in an FA Cup triumph over Manchester City approximately a year ago, before adding the Community Shield at the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

Replacing the most successful manager in the club's history has proven no straightforward task for the South London outfit, who have also been linked with Andoni Iraola, though they face competition from other teams for his signature.

Crystal Palace 'open talks' with Dino Toppmoller to replace Oliver Glasner

According to German transfer insider Florian Plettenberg on X, Toppmoller has emerged as one of the candidates to succeed Glasner at Selhurst Park.

The report also suggests that talks have started and are ongoing between the South London outfit and the German coach, who has been without a club since being sacked by Frankfurt in January.

Recent developments paint a familiar picture at Selhurst Park; Glasner was also unattached when Palace appointed him, having departed Frankfurt at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Toppmoller succeeded the Austrian at the German club, and a potential repeat of that pattern raises intriguing questions about what the 45-year-old could bring to South London.

Could Dino Toppmoller fill Oliver Glasner's big shoes at Crystal Palace?

As mentioned earlier, Toppmoller succeeded Glasner at Frankfurt, and the Austrian also left considerable footprints to follow, having guided the German side to their second continental silverware with the 2021-22 Europa League triumph.

Without adding to that trophy cabinet during his two-and-a-half-year tenure at Deutsche Bank Park, Toppmoller nonetheless left his own imprint on the club's history, steering Frankfurt to a third-place Bundesliga finish in 2024-25 – their highest top-flight placement since 1992-93 – to secure Champions League football.

The 45-year-old manager recently attracted interest from several teams, including Napoli, Al-Ittihad, Wolfsburg and FC Koln, further underlining his reputation as a sought-after tactician despite his period without a club.

However, the Premier League presents an entirely different challenge for a coach yet to test himself in English football, meaning his impact at Selhurst Park may not be immediate, but with time and patience, Toppmoller could yet help Palace build on the remarkable foundations Glasner has left behind.