Palace are set to approach a 50-year-old manager to replace Roy Hodgson.
Crystal Palace’s decision to turn to former manager Roy Hodgson in their hour of need was a masterstroke.
In 2022/23, the Eagles were sinking in the Premier League, and Patrick Vieira couldn’t seem to coax a tune out of his players.
Indeed, before being fired and replaced by the aged Hodgson, the Frenchman had not won a match in 2023, with the last coming in the final game of 2022.
Hodgson not only saved Palace, but also had them playing some of the finest football in years, tearing teams apart in a magnificent run.
He’s performing well this season as well, with his team currently sitting ninth in the Premier League with 12 points from nine games, the same as Manchester United and just two points behind seventh-placed West Ham.
The problem for chairman Steve Parish is that Hodgson can’t go on forever and has already retired from the game before being lured back out of that brief hiatus.
That’s why the Eagles have been connected with the hiring of Lille manager Paulo Fonseca, 50.
According to former Football365 editor-in-chief Ignazio Genuardi, West Ham came close to hiring Fonseca last season before David Moyes intervened.
He could now find a home in south London if Hodgson goes at the end of the current season, as expected.
