Crystal Palace have confirmed that manager Patrick Vieira has left the club.
The Arsenal legend took over Palace in the summer of 2021 and guided then to a 12th-placed finish in the Premier League last season. But this term the Eagles have struggled and are without a win since New Year’s Eve.
Despite that 11-game winless league run, they remain 12th in the table. But they are only two points above Everton in 15th, and three points above Bournemouth, who occupy the third and final relegation place.
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Palace have lost their last three top-flight matches - the latest being a 1-0 defeat at rivals Brighton on Wednesday - and club bosses have decided to act before Sunday's trip to table-topping Arsenal.
In a statement on the club’s website, Palace chairman Steve Parish thanked Vieira for his time in charge at Selhurst Park.
“It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made,” Parish said. “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.
"Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service.”
Everton travel to Palace on April 22. But next up for the Blues is another trip to London, to take on Chelsea on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off).
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