Burnley boss Sean Dyche made some rather intriguing comments on Tuesday afternoon when quizzed about the prospect of replacing Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace, as reported by Lancs Live.
One of the worst-kept secrets in football is out of the bag.
After nearly four years at the helm of his boyhood club, the oldest manager in Premier League history is riding into the sunset.
Given the undoubted similarities that exist between Dyche and Roy Hodgson, the Burnley boss is understandably right in the thick of the discussion when it comes to replacing a man who has succeeded in keeping Palace out the relegation zone since March 2018.
Simon Jordan, the former Eagles chairman, certainly believes that Dyche would be the right man for the job. And with good reason.
Pragmatic and unfashionable he may be but, for Palace, survival is a must and Dyche, like Hodgson, almost guarantees that.
But, after almost a decade at Turf Moor, would Burnley’s very own living legend really walk away from a club he has transformed into top-flight stalwarts.
Dyche was reluctant to give too much away but, for Clarets supporters, his response to the Palace speculation may make for rather worrying reading.
“I have always maintained the same thought, eventually things in football change. But I have been saying that since our first promotion,” said the gravel-voiced gaffer.
“Links come up and I am always flattered by any links at any level of football because I respect the whole of football.
“My role here is what it is, I am still working hard, I think that has been shown this season with myself, my staff and the players. I never lose sight of that.
“If things change in the future? Who knows. You can’t guarantee what is going to be in football. At the moment I am still Burnley manager and I must have said that a number of times down these eight and a half years.”
Fabrizio Romano claimed on Monday that Crystal Palace had held talks with Frank Lampard. But it depends really on what the Londoners are aiming for.
Do they want an exciting, up-and-coming coach, capable of transforming the Eagles into a more exciting, youthful outfit? Or someone who can take the baton from Hodgson and maintain the club’s status in the Premier League middle-ground?
Dyche may feel like the ‘safe’ option but Lampard is a risk. One that could result in a European push. One that could end in a Frank de Boer-style disaster.
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