Wolfsburg coach Ralph Hasenhüttl has hinted that he wouldn’t have approved Maxence Lacroix’s move to Crystal Palace this summer.
The Austrian coach has been speaking to Kicker about the summer and Lacroix’s late move to Crystal Palace was one of the subjects.
The Frenchman had been linked with a move away from Wolfsburg for much of the summer as his contract was its final year and he did not appear keen to extend it.
Crystal Palace eventually got a deal done for the 24-year-old, paying €18m at the end of August to sign the defender as a replacement for the departed Joachim Andersen.
Whether he can do so remains to be seen, with Andersen having established himself as a firm fan favourite, particularly under Oliver Glasner.
Wolfsburg, meanwhile, need to work out how they move on from Lacroix, who had also been a regular for them since his arrival.
They currently have six centre-backs on their books so are not short of options to do so, but it seems Ralph Hasenhüttl wouldn’t have been rushing to sell Lacroix to Crystal Palace if the choice had been his.
“It was clear that something like this could happen. Maxence had an expiring contract, so the club decides where we go, I have to accept that as a coach,” he said.
“But when the Premier League calls that’s where you want to go, I understand every player. This league attracts players, I know that from my own experience.”
