Crystal Palace have lined up the former Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner to take over if they decide to sack Roy Hodgson as pressure continues to grow on the 76-year-old.
Hodgson’s position is understood to have come under intense scrutiny once again after the defeat by Chelsea on Monday night, with some board members believed to have expected the 3-1 loss against Mauricio Pochettino’s side to spell the end for the former England manager.
But despite still not having sacked the veteran whose contract expires at the end of the season, the Palace chairman, Steve Parish, is said to have finally agreed that a change is now needed after a run of four wins in 18 league games which has dragged the club into a relegation battle.
An attempt to persuade Kieran McKenna to take over failed, with the Ipswich manager understood to be unwilling to consider leaving while his side is challenging for promotion from the Championship. Palace have then turned to Glasner, who has been out of work since leaving Frankfurt at the end of last season.
The 49-year-old former defender – who led the German side to victory in the Europa League in 2022, defeating West Ham in the semi-finals –previously coached Wolfsburg for two seasons having made his name with Linz in Austria.
He is understood to have held talks with the Palace sporting director, Dougie Freedman, in recent days and would be ready to take over if Hodgson is sacked. Palace have yet to reach agreement over the terms of any deal but Glasner is believed to be keen to take another job. He has also been linked with a potential move to Bayern Munich but turned down the chance to take over at the French club Lyon in the summer.
Hodgson is now expected to be in charge for the trip on Monday to Goodison Park – where Palace have not won since September 2014 – but it remains to be seen whether he survives until the match against Burnley at Selhurst Park five days later.
Palace officials are believed to be concerned at the growing threat of relegation having spent more than any other Premier League club during the January transfer window.
A series of banners at Selhurst criticising the ownership for “weak club culture and direction” were held up by a section of fans during the televised game against Chelsea and were not well received in the boardroom after similar banners were displayed during the 4-1 defeat against Palace’s arch‑rivals Brighton and a 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal.
Palace are expected to be without the captain, Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise for the game against Everton, who are five points behind in the relegation zone.
