Crystal Palace are interested in hiring Paulo Fonseca this summer when Roy Hodgson departs Selhurst Park.
The south Londoners are also said to be considering Adi Hütter when the 75-year-old’s sees his second stint in south London come to an end.
What’s the story?
Well – according to the Guardian – both Fonseca and Hütter have admirers in the boardroom at Crystal Palace.
The Eagles announced Hodgson‘s return on Tuesday morning as they aim to avoid relegation to the Championship, after a winless start to 2023 has left them just three points above the bottom three in the Premier League.
If Hodgson can steer Crystal Palace to an 11th consecutive campaign in the Premier League, it seems Hütter and Fonseca are among the primary candidates to replace Vieira on a more long-term basis.
Fonseca – who has won nine trophies throughout his managerial career – is currently in charge of Lille, who sit sixth in Ligue 1 and have an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
In regards to Hütter, the Austrian would be easier to appoint given the fact he is currently unemployed, after leaving Borussia Monchengladbach in May 2022.
The 53-year-old made a name for himself at Eintracht Frankfurt before moving to Borussia Monchengladbach, earning the Manager of the Year title from Bild in 2021 after guiding them to the Europa League Semi-Final.
Crystal Palace surely have no chance of hiring Paulo Fonseca
In our view, Crystal Palace may be aiming a little too high with their interest in Fonseca.
The 50-year-old is very highly rated across Europe, and was even offered the Tottenham job in 2021 before Fabio Paratici decided to pull the plug in one of his first acts as Director of Football at Spurs.
That was admitted by Fonseca himself, with the Telegraph quoting him as saying: “The agreement was done, but things changed when the new managing director arrived and we didn’t agree with some ideas and he preferred another coach.”
The Portuguese tactician is showing why Spurs wanted him with his efforts at Lille, where he has an exciting side – containing the likes of Jonathan David – who play an enthralling style of football.
Surely, Fonseca won’t give that up to replace Hodgson at Crystal Palace this summer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
