Frank Lampard will be the ‘red-hot favourite’ to take over at Crystal Palace if Roy Hodgson walks away from Selhurst Park this summer, Harry Redknapp told talkSPORT (19 March, 9.50am).
It is stick or twist time at Palace?
With Hodgson’s contract expiring in the summer, do they hand a new deal to the oldest manager in Premier League history? Or do they take a risk and move on from a 73-year-old tactician who guarantees safety or mediocrity – depending on which way you look at it.
It didn’t go all that well the last time Crystal Palace handed the reins to an exciting young coach with a big reputation of course. The name ‘Frank de Boer’ will forever send chills down Steve Parish’s spine.
But, while his time at Chelsea ended in rather underwhelming fashion two months ago, Lampard has done enough during his time at Stamford Bridge and at Derby County to suggest that he still has a bright future as a Premier League manager.
“Roy’s done a great job at Palace. If he doesn’t stay, I think Frank could be the Palace manager,” said Redknapp, Lampard’s uncle.
“I would think Frank would be the red-hot favourite.”
Lampard’s high-octane, forward-thinking style of football should appeal to Palace supporters who have grown tired of Hodgson’s deep-lying pragmatism.
On the other hand, Hodgson’s success at Selhurst has been built on a sound defensive base.
And perhaps the biggest criticism surrounding Lampard’s tenure at Chelsea is that the former England international never managed to instil a sense of reliability at the back.
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