Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish is driving the Eagles’ search for Oliver Glasner’s replacement, and a big-name former Chelsea boss could be tempted, according to reports.
Palace eye new manager with Glasner era coming to an end
Palace are stepping up their search for a new manager this summer, with work already underway behind the scenes to find a successor to Glasner ahead of what could be a landmark period for the south London club.
Glasner is set to leave Selhurst Park when his contract expires at the end of the season, departing as the most successful manager in the club’s history having won the FA Cup in his first full season and led the Community Shield triumph in August.
The Austrian has also guided Palace to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, with a potential final still on the horizon as the club look to end a memorable chapter on the highest possible note.
In the Premier League, Palace are fighting to make a late push towards the European qualification places, sitting six points off the top six but with games in hand over their rivals.
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The Eagles are still on the hunt for their Oliver Glasner replacement.
However, with the Glasner era about to end, several names have been discussed to take the tactician’s place.
Thomas Frank, who built his reputation over a long and successful spell at Brentford, is understood to be in the picture. Robbie Keane, who has earned considerable praise for his work at Ferencvaros in Hungary, has also been mentioned.
Andoni Iraola — who confirmed last week that he will be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season — represents an attractive free option, but the Spaniard has admirers from elite Premier League rivals.
Parish is understood to be personally leading the managerial search, with a number of ‘high-profile’ names under consideration, according to TEAMtalk.
Frank Lampard could be tempted to join Crystal Palace
One of them, as per TT and Graeme Bailey, is Frank Lampard, who has emerged as one of the standout candidates at the top of Palace’s list.
The 47-year-old has just completed a remarkable turnaround at Coventry City, taking them from 17th in the Championship to title winners and Premier League promotion in the space of 16 months, accumulating 89 points along the way and winning the EFL’s Manager of the Season award.
The complication is that Coventry have every intention of keeping him.
The Sky Blues are making their first top-flight appearance in 25 years and Lampard is very much the architect of that journey. The club’s position is clear — he is not available.
What is less clear is whether Lampard himself sees his long-term future at the CBS Arena.
TEAMtalk‘s sources indicate that the draw of returning to London — the city where he made his name as one of English football’s greatest players — could be a significant factor in any decision, and Lampard could therefore be tempted to join Palace.
Bailey says that he came close to taking the Palace job on a previous occasion, and with the role now opening up once more, the club are believed to be ready to test Coventry’s resolve.
Lampard said after securing promotion that what he has achieved at Coventry ranks right up there with winning the Champions League and Premier League titles as a player — words that speak to how invested he has become in the project.
Whether that investment is enough to keep him at Coventry when an established Premier League club comes calling is the question, with Palace banking on him answering one way.
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It would be a real eyebrow raiser.