Former Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has been tipped to return to the Premier League after Crystal Palace sacked Patrick Vieira. The Arsenal legend has been dismissed with the Eagles slipping towards a relegation battle after failing to win their last 11 top-flight fixtures.
In a statement released on Friday morning, Palace chairman Steve Parish said: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.
"That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues. He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival."
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Benitez has been out of work since leaving Everton in January 2022 following a dismal spell in charge at Goodison Park. The former Toon boss has not been shy in outlining his desire to return to work in the Premier League, and has now been listed among the frontrunners for the vacancy at Selhurst Park.
Benitez is listed as the favourite with Sky Bet at 6/1, followed closely by Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglu and Ralph Hassenhuttl. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Jesse Marsch and Mauricio Pochettino are also considered contenders, alongside former Palace boss Sam Allardyce.
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