Roy Hodgson has been installed as the early bookmakers’ favourite to make a shock return as Crystal Palace manager.
The Eagles are quickly hunting for a new boss after deciding to sack Patrick Vieira on Friday, just 48 hours out from a Premier League London derby against former club Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
Palace decided to act after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by bitter rivals Brighton that extended their winless run in 2023 to 11 matches, with a paltry four goals scored in that time as they have become dragged into a relegation fight sitting now only three points above the drop zone.
Such a disastrous sequence has served to undo all of Vieira’s impressive work from last season, when he guided the club to a 12th-placed finish with a brand of football that served as an improvement on the rather more stodgy but effective style seen during Hodgson’s previous four-year reign.
A return to Selhurst Park for the former England boss, who turns 76 in August, seems incredibly unlikely at this stage, but that does not stop him topping the early bookies list of potential Vieira replacements.
Hodgson has been out of work since leaving Watford - whom he came out of retirement to manage on a short-term basis - in the aftermath of their relegation last May and confirming that he did not intend to take on any more top-flight roles.
Also featuring prominently in the early betting is Jesse Marsch, the American coach sacked by Leeds in February and almost appointed as Nathan Jones’ successor at Southampton before talks broke down.
Ex-Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, who left St Mary’s after almost four years in charge in November, is among the other mooted contenders along with former Borussia Dortmund and Nice chief Lucien Favre.
Palace Under-21 coach and former long-serving Eagles defender Paddy McCarthy is also among the shortest odds for the full-time job as he prepares to take temporary charge of the first team against Arsenal this weekend.
Rafael Benitez, Nuno Espirito Santo, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard also see their names mentioned, along with Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou and even the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Marcelo Bielsa.
Next permanent Crystal Palace manager odds
Paddy McCarthy - 15/8
Roy Hodgson - 10/3
Jesse Marsch - 15/2
Lucien Favre - 9/1
Ralph Hasenhuttl - 10/1
Rafael Benitez - 11/1
Nuno Espirito Santo - 12/1
Steven Gerrard - 14/1
Ange Postecoglou - 14/1
Frank Lampard - 14/1
Mauricio Pochettino - 16/1
Marcelo Bielsa - 16/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
