Crystal Palace: Oliver Glasner keen to enter January transfer market for Ismaila Sarr replacement | OneFootball

Star forward and summer signing Christantus Uche will miss a number of weeks due to Africa Cup of Nations duty

Oliver Glasner is ready to explore the January transfer window in search of attacking reinforcements for Crystal Palace.

Ismaila Sarr and Christantus Uche are set to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations around the middle of December, with Senegal and Nigeria having qualified for the tournament which runs from December 21 until January 18, 2026.

"It could be that Ismaila Sarr and Christantus Uche go to AFCON. We are looking and preparing,” Glasnser said after Palace’s 0-0 draw with Brighton on Sunday.

“If we could add a player in the January window, that would help a little bit. We need one or two. But I trust this group of players to show up when we need them."

Glasner was left frustrated by Palace’s lack of transfer activity in the summer, waiting until the end of the window to bolster their squad.

Uche and Spanish midfielder Yeremy Pino were brought in to add depth to Palace’s attack, but the pair have taken time to adapt to Glasner’s system, having not had the benefit of a full pre-season to get up to speed.

Pino has steadily begun to show his quality for Palace in the Conference League, but has so far failed to register a goal or an assist in the Premier League.

Uche, meanwhile, has played just eight minutes of Premier League football since his Deadline Day arrival from Getafe.

Palace’s goalless draw with Brighton was the sixth time already this season that the Eagles have failed to score in a game across all competitions.

Finding the back of the net consistently has been an issue for Palace this season, and Glasner knows his side are lacking firepower up top, especially if Sarr, their top goalscorer in all competitions, leaves for the Africa Cup of Nations next month.