Crystal Palace are set to sack Roy Hodgson and have lined up Oliver Glasner to replace him, with the Austrian understood to be close to agreeing a deal to take over after advanced talks on Thursday.
Hodgson was due at a press conference on Thursday before Palace’s trip to Everton on Monday but that was cancelled at just over half an hour’s notice. “Unfortunately, today’s press conference will no longer take place as scheduled as Roy Hodgson was taken ill during this morning’s training session,” Palace said.
Hodgson’s position is understood to have come under intense scrutiny after the defeat by Chelsea on Monday night, with the Palace chairman, Steve Parish, believed to have decided that a change was needed after a run of four wins in 18 league games which has dragged the club into a relegation battle.
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Glasner, out of work since leaving Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of last season, became Palace’s preferred choice after an attempt to persuade Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna to take over failed. Glasner is understood to have held talks with Parish and the Palace sporting director, Dougie Freedman, and is believed to be closing in on an agreement worth about £4.5m a season.
Glasner, a 49-year-old former defender, led Eintracht to victory in the Europa League in 2022, defeating West Ham in the semi-finals. He previously coached Wolfsburg for two seasons having made his name with Linz in Austria.
Hodgson, 76, was brought back by Palace last March to replace his replacement, Patrick Vieira, and a solid run of results earned the former England manager a further contract at the club he previously managed from September 2017 to May 2021. This season, however, has brought diminishing returns for an injury-hit side, who have been drawn into the relegation fight.
Hodgson recently described Palace’s predicament as “the toughest period of my career for one reason, and that is that the fans have turned so much against us”. The Palace defender Joachim Andersen was pulled away from an angry exchange with fans after a defeat at Brighton and banners have called for the board’s removal and referred to “no shared vision, no structured plan”. One banner displayed at the Chelsea game took aim at “weak club culture and direction”.
Hodgson’s expected departure would appear to signal the end of a long and distinguished managerial career that began with in Sweden with Halmstad in 1976 and has included spells with Inter, Fulham and Liverpool.
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Hodgson has been hampered recently by injuries to Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise, two of his most creative players. Olise returned from a hamstring injury against Brighton but managed just over 10 minutes before limping off.
Palace were the highest Premier League spenders in the January window, bringing in the midfielder Adam Wharton from Blackburn and defender Daniel Muñoz from Genk.
