Roy Hodgson It is reported that he is in talks to return. Crystal Palace following his successor’s dismissal Patrick Vieira.
Vieira replaced former England boss Hodgson, now 75, in 2021, but the club is reportedly considering turning back time after losing faith in the Frenchman.
Palace declined to comment when contacted by the PA news agency.
Hodgson looked poised to retire when he left the House 18 months ago, but accepted a firefighting post at Watford last year and tried but unsuccessfully to push the Hornets away from relegation.
He suggested that at the time his long and eventful career was coming to an end, he said: “I don’t think I’ll be putting my name forward for any further stories in the world of Premier League football after this” – but his resolve may be strained: one last spell where he stood.
Any deal will likely be short-term until the end of the current campaign. Quicker, former club captain Paddy McCarthy will lead the opposing side Arsenal On Sunday, with help from under-21 coach Darren Powell and goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely.
Palace held 12th place for nine straight weeks, but their latest form scored 12 games without a win in all competitions and just five goals, leaving the south London side just three points from the relegation zone with 11 games left.
While Hodgson’s candidacy appears to be advancing, the likes of Jesse Marsch, who has been out of work since he was released by Leeds last month, former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, Lucien Favre and Adi Hutter are all linked.
head of the palace Steve Parish He insisted that the mood at his club remained optimistic after Vieira’s departure.
“The players are good and everyone is really looking forward to Sunday,” Parish, co-owner of Palace, told Sky Sports.
“The feeling is good. You know, everybody really liked Patrick. The actors had the world’s time for him. You saw from his performances that he never lost his actors, they were all running and playing for him.
“I think some things were not happening, so the mood was good, it was good, but frankly we hope there is some fresh momentum, a few different ideas, maybe by doing something different we can surprise the opponent a little bit.” .
“We have good players, we have a good squad, we have good players. They will follow Patrick, they will follow Paddy, they will follow Darren and they will do what is best for the football club.
Everyone is positive, wants to do their best and believes we can win football matches. I’m not going to tell you today was great because Patrick is gone, because Patrick is a great guy and people loved working with him.
“I’m sure it will continue and be as successful for us last year as it has anywhere else, and maybe learn a little bit from the parts where it lost its way, and I really hope. It’s just football, right?”
McCarthy trained the team when news of Vieira’s departure came in and told Palace TV: “Under the strange circumstances, the guys showed good energy and enthusiasm.
“Obviously this is a huge moment for me, but ultimately it’s not about me.
“My only focus right now is to get the team ready for Arsenal in the short time we have, so everything will be adjusted accordingly.
“I’m going to push all that emotion aside. Yes, it will be a great opportunity for Darren and me to manage at this level, but the focus is simply on setting the game plan and executing it on Sunday.”
Although Palace are currently located in the same spot where they finished last season, the underlying numbers look completely different – they have scored a total of 21 goals in 27 games this season, less and barely more than any Premier League team outside of Wolves, Everton and Southampton (20). Half of their tally, 37, is at the same stage as last term.