Crystal Palace hit a brick wall in their pursuit of Steve Cooper after the Premier League outfit refused to pay the £3 million release clause in his Swansea City contract, as reported by 90Min.
Well, this could get embarrassing.
After Lucien Favre got cold feet and left Steve Parish hanging, a Crystal Palace side still without a manager over a month after Roy Hodgson’s departure could be forced to return to a man they appeared to have moved on from only a few days ago.
90Min claims that 41-year-old Cooper was Crystal Palace’s number one choice – until they decided to press ahead for Favre, of course.
But the Eagles were reluctant to pay the £3 million release clause in his contract. And, with Swansea refusing to budge, an impasse was reached.
Will Crystal Palace now go back to Steve Cooper?
It certainly wouldn’t reflect well on Palace if they suddenly come crawling back to Swansea, their tails tucked firmly between their legs.
Favre is now a no-go, Nuno Espirito Santo is out of reach, Valerien Ismael has put pen to paper with West Bromwich Albion.
Could a paucity of other options force Crystal Palace to go back to Cooper?
The Athletic suggests that a man who led a youthful Swansea side to the play-offs in each of the last two seasons may now come back into contention.
£3 million may feel like a lot for a manager who has just two years of club football experience under his belt, but beggars can’t be choosers and Crystal Palace are becoming increasingly desperate.
Chairman Steve Parish wants a coach with a proven track record when it comes to developing young players and Cooper, who led England to U17 World Cup glory and also worked at Liverpool’s academy, would certainly tick that box.
He is far from universally popular at Swansea, though, with many supporters growing tired of what they deemed a rather rudimental style of football.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
