A new era will begin at Crystal Palace this summer when Oliver Glasner parts ways with the club. The Austrian manager wrote his name in the Eagles’ history books last season.
Glasner guided Palace to FA Cup glory, the first major trophy in his side’s history. Most fans knew last year’s success would lead to high-profile departures.
Eberechi Eze joined Arsenal in the summer, and Marc Guehi headed to Manchester City in January. Glasner will follow them out of the Selhurst Park door after the campaign concludes.
Crystal Palace backed to turn to Frank
Palace will therefore be on the lookout for a replacement, and several names have been linked. It’s crucial that Steve Parish and the board make the right decision over a successor.
A foreign manager with a good reputation, such as Getafe’s Jose Bordalas, could be an option. A proven Premier League coach might be taken into consideration.
The club’s former chairman, Simon Jordan, has suggested the South Londoners could turn to Frank Lampard. The Chelsea legend has worked wonders at Coventry City in the EFL Championship.
Jordan suggested Lampard will have plenty of interest, especially if he guides the Sky Blues to promotion. He said on talkSPORT:
“Be fascinating to see what happens with Lampard because he’ll become a commodity. If he gets this Coventry side up, he’ll become a commodity for other clubs and teams like Palace who have been in for him before.”
Jordan suggests Palace have set their sights on Lampard in the past. He does have Premier League experience although he failed to impress while in charge at Everton.
He added:
“They’ll come knocking again, will be interesting to see, if he gets Coventry up, hopefully he’ll show a prerequisite amount of respect for the job he was given and stay where he’s been successful.”
Lampard has been Coventry manager since late 2024 and propelled the Sky Blues into Championship title contenders. His side is top of the table at present, having taken 62 points from 32 games.
The English coach will have a year left on his contract this summer. A potential appointment could be aided by previous talks held with the former Chelsea midfielder-turned-manager.
Is Lampard the man for the job?
There’s no denying Lampard has bounced back from his disappointing Everton tenure. It’s also worth noting that he worked under financial constraints at Goodison Park.
Lampard was in a similar situation during his first season in charge of Chelsea. He led the Blues to Champions League qualification and the 2020 FA Cup final.
The English manager often makes superb starts to his managerial reigns. But the wheels fall off, and Coventry have blown a significant lead at the top of the Championship in recent months.
Given Lampard’s past struggles in the Premier League, he perhaps shouldn’t be a top contender for the job. A similar appointment to Glasner, who was renowned for building successful teams, feels the right decision.
Rodgers feels right
The bookies have Thomas Frank leading the way to become Glasner’s successor. That would be an extremely risky move given his nightmare spell at Tottenham Hotspur.
Former Benfica boss Roger Schmidt, Portugal’s Roberto Martinez and former England manager Gareth Southgate are also in the running. The best course of action is to appoint a tactician who has a track record of success in the Premier League.
Brendan Rodgers is the ideal candidate who knows English football like the back of his hand. The Northern Irish coach is available after his unceremonious Celtic sacking in the winter.
The 53-year-old is currently managing Saudi Pro League outfit Al Qadsiah. The lure of returning to the Premier League might be too tempting for the former Leicester City boss to turn down.
Rodgers was a huge success while in charge of the Foxes, guiding them to the FA Cup in 2021. He has an exciting football philosophy and has worked with high-profile players such as Luis Suarez and Jamie Vardy during his career.
