Tunnel bust-up revealed: Man City signing clashed with boss before exit
Marc Guehi and Oliver Glasner were involved in a heated tunnel confrontation during Crystal Palace’s FA Cup humiliation at Macclesfield, weeks before the defender’s move to Manchester City.
Francis Jeffers, assistant manager for the non-league side, claims he witnessed the altercation during the interval of the historic upset.
The England international has since completed a high-profile transfer to the Premier League champions, but tensions reportedly boiled over during his final days at Selhurst Park.
Witness account from the tunnel
Jeffers, working alongside Wayne Rooney’s brother John at Macclesfield, detailed the clash on a recent podcast appearance.
The former Everton striker suggested the atmosphere between the manager and his captain was volatile as the Silkmen took control of the tie.
“I will say it and I don’t know if I should be saying it but Marc Guehi and Glasner are going at it in the tunnel at half-time,” Jeffers said.
He noted the sheer intensity of the exchange between the pair.
“I’m walking past them and I thought, ‘I like that’. There is an edge to that.”
Capitalising on the unrest
The disagreement provided immediate ammunition for the underdogs in the dressing room.
Jeffers admitted he used the visible fracture in the Palace camp to motivate his own players for the second half.
“I did [tell them],” Jeffers explained. “I said, ‘Look, there’s big disagreements there between the manager and the captain’. So you’ve clearly rattled their cage.”
The strategy proved effective as Macclesfield secured what many consider the biggest shock in the competition’s history against the holders.
A fractured relationship
Cheer has been in short supply for the Eagles following that ignominious defeat.
The Austrian coach has secured just one victory in all competitions since the incident and has confirmed his departure at the end of the campaign.
His announcement coincided with the confirmation that the 24-year-old centre-back would be joining Pep Guardiola’s side.
Glasner had previously voiced his frustration regarding the club’s transfer policy, feeling unsupported by the hierarchy.
“The worst thing is selling our captain one day before playing a Premier League game,” Glasner stated regarding the timing of the deal.
“We are preparing, it’s the first week we are training since September, and then we are selling our captain one day before a game. So I have no understanding of this.”