Simon Jordan doubts Crystal Palace would be able to tempt Andoni Iraola to join them from Bournemouth this summer.
Iraola has been touted as a possible replacement for Oliver Glasner, who is leaving Selhurst Park at the end of the season.
But former Palace owner Jordan believes Bournemouth chief Bill Foley seems “more ambitious” than his Palace counterpart Steve Parish – and that Palace’s failure to back Glasner will harm their chances of landing a manager like Iraola.
Speaking on Talksport, Jordan said: “Foley, I think, is prepared to back and finance, whereas I’m not entirely sure Parish has got the money, so the Americans are the ones that provide the cash—and clearly there’s been a fallout and departure. So you lose Glasner.
“He had produced a Palace team that had won the FA Cup, that had steered them away from the car crash that Patrick Vieira had created for Palace. Done it well. Not been backed in the first summer—took it on the chin because he’d been there for five minutes—came back the following season, got them going after keeping Mateta out the side for a bit because he wasn’t fit, got Palace going, really punching hard and heavy in the league and in the FA Cup Final.
“And his reward for that was to have the players sold from underneath him and the funds not redistributed and given him an opportunity.
“So why would Iraola, who’s an ambitious manager that will be sought after by lots of football clubs of a higher standing than potentially Crystal Palace, look at what’s happened to Glasner and go, “Oh, I’ll have some of that”?
The Glasner paradox: can Palace attract elite coaching without a spending surge?
The core of Simon Jordan’s argument rests on a stark reality: Oliver Glasner delivered Crystal Palace’s greatest modern achievement—the 2025 FA Cup—yet saw his squad weakened rather than reinforced.
For a coach of Andoni Iraola’s profile, the “Palace Model” of buying low and selling high is a double-edged sword. While it provides a platform for growth, the lack of a “holding phase” where stars are kept to push for Europe makes the Selhurst Park project a difficult sell compared to the stability currently offered by Bill Foley at Bournemouth.
| Success factor | The Glasner era (2024-2026) | The Iraola requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer net spend | Estimated £-15m (Profit from player sales) | Minimum £40m-£60m seasonal reinvestment |
| Squad retention | Key starters sold after the 2025 Cup Final | Guaranteed retention of core spine (3+ years) |
| Wage structure | Strict tiered system; limited “marquee” room | Flexibility to attract top-tier continental talent |
If Steve Parish wants to secure a “Category A” manager like Iraola, the 2026 summer window cannot mirror the 2025 aftermath. As Jordan pointed out, the “Americans providing the cash” must align with the footballing ambition of the dugout. Without that synergy, Palace risks falling back into the cycle of short-term appointments rather than building on the foundations Glasner so brilliantly laid.