By Wale Mustapha
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has expressed satisfaction with the debut performance of new signing Chrisantus Uche in the Eagles’ goalless draw against Sunderland on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Nigerian midfielder, who joined Palace on transfer deadline day, was introduced late in the second half, replacing Yeremy Pino with 10 minutes left to play.
Despite the brief cameo, Uche made his presence felt, coming close to scoring and being involved in a penalty appeal that was ultimately waved away.
Glasner praised the former Villarreal man’s impact and highlighted the physical edge he brought to the attack.
“It was the same with Uche at the end — I thought he could help us in having a little bit more physicality in our attack,” Glasner told the club’s official website.
“He was great, he had a big chance as well. I think we could have got a penalty in this situation.”
Palace remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season, and Glasner believes Uche’s versatility and dynamism will give his side more attacking options as the campaign progresses.
The Nigerian will now be pushing for his first start when the Eagles return to action in midweek for their Carabao Cup clash against Millwall.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
