Oliver Glasner admires ‘fantastic’ Arsenal star he wanted to sign – now he could hurt Crystal Palace 

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Arsenal are preparing for their EFL Cup tie against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night in N5.

Mikel Arteta will come up against a familiar face in the quarter-final, facing Premier League opposition in Oliver Glasner’s Palace.

The Gunners have overcome Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End so far and will now take a step up when battling Palace.

The EFL Cup has been a stellar opportunity for Arsenal’s fringe players to make an impact, which could be a similar situation when the Eagles pay a visit.

• READ MORE: The five Arsenal players who have a point to prove vs Crystal Palace – one is on his last chance

Oliver Glasner is a fan of Raheem Sterling

Ethan Nwaneri’s EFL Cup success has been a revelation for Arsenal this season, seeing the 17-year-old take significant steps on his journey to being a first-team regular.

While Arsenal and Palace haven’t met this season, the clubs have been tied together due to recent transfers, most notably Eddie Nketiah’s move to Selhurst Park in the summer.

Glasner captured the Hale End graduate in a £25m deal however, the former Gunner isn’t the only Arsenal talent the Austrian coach admires. 

Before Arsenal signed Raheem Sterling, the 30-year-old was linked to Palace, seeing Glasner comment on the winger’s quality amid speculation. 

“Raheem Sterling is a fantastic player, but it doesn’t mean he will be a Crystal Palace player,” Glasner said in the summer.

“He’s a great player but I don’t know what will happen with him.”

Sterling of course ended up moving to N5 in a dramatic deadline-day move and now, the Chelsea loanee could show Glasner and the Eagles what they’re missing.

Sterling must start against Crystal Palace 

Arteta admitted that Sterling’s Arsenal career has been difficult so far, with the boss finding it hard to hand the Englishman sufficient minutes.

That being said, there is an argument that the Arsenal manager has not called upon the four-time Premier League winner enough this season.

Unleashing Sterling against Palace would be a smart decision from Arteta, particularly when considering the lack of form displayed by Arsenal’s other wide players.

Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli have been urged to step up amid a dip in form, which could hand Sterling the perfect opportunity to send a message against the Eagles.