With right boss Crystal Palace have squad capable of reaching Europe

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Sam Allardyce has decided to leave Crystal Palace, but this could be the perfect opportunity to go to the next level.

Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend celebrates scoring their first goal with Wilfried Zaha

The Daily Mail have reported that after meeting with chairman Steve Parrish, Sam Allardyce has taken the shock decision to quit as Crystal Palace manager.

Allardyce was appointed Eagles boss on December 24 following the sacking of Alan Pardew, signing a two-and-a-half year deal, and kept the South London club in the Premier League with one game to spare.

His exit from Selhurst Park may therefore come as a surprise, especially after the board gave the 62-year-old £34m to spend on new players in the January transfer window.

However, it is those that Allardyce brought in, plus some other key members already in the Palace squad, that means that the club should not be trying to avoid the drop in 2017/18 but actually pushing for European qualification.

This might seem ambitious for a side who eventually finished 14th this term, but throughout the first team they have players of European quality.

Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce

Top-scorer Christian Benteke, who scored 15 league goals in 2016/17, may have struggled at Liverpool but is an established international for Belgium and thrives when the focus of attack.

Wilfried Zaha has also rebuilt his reputation after a troubled spell at a “top six” club, failing to assert himself at Manchester United but scoring seven goals and providing nine assists this campaign as he comes back to form.

Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke celebrates scoring their first goal

Yohan Cabaye is the other standout star, with 48 caps for France and three Ligue 1 titles with Lille and Paris Saint-Germain. Elsewhere the likes of Patrick van Aanholt, Luka Milivojevic and Andros Townsend provide solid support, while signing Mamadou Sakho permanently after his successful loan spell would be a great coup.

Combine that with a manager who is not looking to avoid the drop, but has greater ambitions of taking the club to the next level and the departure of Allardyce could actually be a blessing in disguise.