Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has stated he is stepping away from top-flight Premier League football, and the final two matches remaining for Palace this season will be his last as manager. The 73-year-old who began his coaching career in Sweden in 1976 and went on to manage England between 2012 and 2016, will take charge of his last Selhurst Park match against Arsenal on Wednesday before facing one of his former clubs, Liverpool, on Sunday in his final game.
When Hodgson was appointed early in the 2017-18 campaign, Palace was pointless and had failed to score during their opening four league games after a disastrous start to life under Frank De Boer, but He has, however, overseen top-flight stability for them since he took charge and has helped Palace become an established member of the Premier League.
According to the Premier League’s oldest-ever manager, “Goodbyes have never been my forte. I’ve been much better at hellos. It risks being an emotional occasion and I’m not good on emotional occasions.”
"After more than 45 years of coaching I have decided that the time is right for me to step away from the rigours of top-flight Premier League football, so our final two matches will be my last ones as manager of Crystal Palace."
"It's been a particularly rewarding period of my football life and career to have been able to spend these last four seasons with Palace. I feel now that at the end of another successful season, in which we have secured our Premier League status, the moment is right for me to step down from my responsibilities of being a full-time manager.
"I have had so much support from my wife and family throughout my career and I have been contemplating this decision for some time, and now I believe the time is right to consider them and to see what the future holds for me."
Palace chairman, Steve Parish, said: "It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to work alongside Roy, who is both a magnificent human and an outstanding football manager. I know how much it has meant to Roy managing the club he supported as a child, adding to his distinguished and unparalleled career in football management.
"His record with us simply cannot be overstated, he is the only Palace manager to secure four years in the Premier League and he has helped give us stability in the most turbulent of times. We will be forever grateful for his immense contribution and I am delighted that we will have the opportunity to show our appreciation at Selhurst Park after the Arsenal match, alongside 6,500 supporters.
"Roy will leave us after our final Premier League match of the season with our enormous thanks for his incredible contribution to our club, and with our very best wishes for the future."
The club is understood to have sounded out potential candidates in recent weeks, with Frank Lampard who is interested in returning to management having been sacked by Chelsea in January - Eddie Howe, and Burnley’s Sean Dyche also has his admirers in the Palace boardroom and could emerge as the most similar candidate to Hodgson, although it is believed he would cost up to £10m in compensation.
Dyche expects to hold contract talks with Burnley. “I’m sure over the coming weeks they will be speaking to me,” he said on Tuesday. “They’ve certainly mentioned that they want to.”
