Next Crystal Palace Manager Odds: Benitez Leads The Betting After Vieira Sacking
Crystal Palace are on the lookout for a new manager and believe it is an open field in the race to succeed Patrick Vieira.
The Frenchman was sacked on St Patrick’s Day after a run of 12 games without a victory in all competitions.
Palace are the only team in the Premier League yet to win a match in 2023, and they are now just three points above the bottom three as the business end of the campaign approaches.
Chairman Steve Parish and sporting director Dougie Freedman will now turn their attention to finding a replacement during the upcoming international break, with a caretaker set to take charge of Sunday’s meeting with Arsenal.
Who could replace Vieira on a permanent basis? Let’s have a look at the latest odds from UK bookmakers and the various contenders for the role.
Benitez Early Favourite But Could Be Uneasy Fit
Rafael Benitez is the 6/1 favourite with Coral to be the next Palace boss.
Based in England, the Spaniard has made no secret of his love for the Premier League, a competition in which he has already managed four different clubs in Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Everton.
Benitez has a proven track record, and he has managed numerous world-class players during a career which has spanned more than two decades. However, he might not be what Palace need right now.
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The team’s main shortcoming is creating and converting chances, as evidenced by the fact that only three sides have scored fewer goals this term.
Even Benitez himself would probably concede that his strengths lie elsewhere.
Hasenhuttl Still Out Of Work After Southampton Exit
Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked by a Premier League club earlier this season, but Southampton have not improved since his departure.
He broadly did a good job at St Mary’s over a tenure which lasted for almost four years, and the Austrian remains out of work since leaving that position.
His front-foot style might appeal to the Palace board, who will also value his experience of the division. But it remains to be seen what Hasenhuttl wants to do next.
Hasenhuttl has previously announced that he would consider retiring after leaving Southampton, and a return to the Bundesliga is perhaps more likely than another role in England.
Even so, Hasnehuttl is priced at 10/1 by to be Palace’s next boss.
Palace Tried For Nuno Before Appointing Vieira
Back in the summer of 2021, Palace were on the cusp of appointing Nuno Espirito Santo, only for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach to be approached by Tottenham Hotspur at the eleventh hour.
Nuno did not do well at Spurs and his reputation consequently took a hit.
He is currently working in Saudi Arabia as the manager of Al-Ittihad, but the Portuguese would surely jump at the chance to return to the Premier League, for which he is given a 10/1 shot by BetVictor of doing so with Crystal Palace.
The problem is that Palace’s squad has been built to play a very different style to that which Nuno prefers.
Carrick Doing An Excellent Job At Middlesbrough
When reports emerged on Thursday suggesting Vieira was fighting to save his job, Michael Carrick and Vincent Kompany were both mentioned as possible replacements.
Palace have signed several players from the Championship in recent times and they might now be looking to bring in a manager from the second tier too.
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Kompany is probably out of reach given he will be in the Premier League with Burnley next term, but Carrick could be easier to get out of Middlesbrough.
He has done a brilliant job to turn Boro into promotion contenders, but the lure of the top flight could ultimately prove too strong.
Carrick can be backed at 12/1 with Bet365 to be next through the door at Selhurst Park.
Gerrard Likelier Than Postecoglou Among Outsiders
Steven Gerrard and Ange Postecoglou, two managers with connections to Scotland, are among the outsiders at 14/1 apiece with .
Frank Lampard and Carlos Corberan, both available at 16/1 with Parimatch, are considered even less likely.
It is certainly easy to envisage Postecoglou managing in the Premier League one day, but the Palace role would probably not be enough to tempt him away from Celtic at this time.
The Australian is on the verge of winning another Scottish Premiership title and he would no doubt like another crack at Europe too.
Gerrard is out of work after his ill-fated Aston Villa tenure. He may end up being one of the managers Palace speak to, but the odds suggest he is not among the leading contenders just yet.
