Crystal Palace were rumoured to be eyeing Julen Lopetegui as the potential successor to Roy Hodgson with reports explaining that the Spaniard ‘rejected’ the project at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace are expected to soon see a change at the helm of the squad as Oliver Glasner looks set to take the reins from Roy Hodgson.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt boss is rumoured to be ready to take control of the Eagles as early as tomorrow, as the primary concern in the managerial department remains the status of Hodgson’s health.
After collapsing during a training session last week, the 76-year-old veteran manager’s tenure could come to an end this evening as Palace travel to Goodison Park to face Everton in the Premier League.
While Glasner’s Europa League-winning CV and status as a free agent is said to have won the Palace board over, the Austrian wasn’t the only candidate that was considered at Selhurst Park.
What has been said about Julen Lopetegui to Crystal Palace
It was back in December that Julen Lopetegui’s name was mentioned in the running to succeed Hodgson at Palace.
The former Wolves boss is said to have ‘rejected’ the chance to join Palace, as he reportedly waits in the wings for the West Ham job as David Moyes’ future looks uncertain, as per Football Insider.
Football Insider describes the motive for the Spaniard’s rejection as being his wish to manage a top-10 English side, with Palace’s project seemingly not winning over the former Real Madrid boss.
Why was Julen Lopetegui the wrong manager for Crystal Palace?
Lopetegui did a fine job in reviving Wolves’ season last term, taking over from Bruno Lage when the Midlands club were at the bottom of the table.
The Spaniard fired the Old Gold from 20th to 13th in an impressive feat amid the club’s financial pressures although, his heroics at Molineux don’t necessarily mean he would have been good for Palace.
The Eagles need more than a manager who can survive a relegation battle, with the restlessness around the club being the lack of progression seen at Selhurst Park.
Lopetegui is a very strong coach and did an excellent job at Wolves but mutually agreed to leave Molineux when the club were unable to support him financially, and rightly so.
Taking charge of Palace at this point in the season will provide Glasner with a test due to league position and lack of resources due to injury, a test that Lopetegui arguably could have fixed short-term, but not necessarily for the long haul.
The Austrian is known for his fiery and ambitious approach to management, seeing him having the potential to induce progression at Selhurst in a way that the former Wolves boss may have stumbled at.
Since 2012, Lopetegui has not managed a side for greater than a three-year span, with him facing four dismissals in that time to reinforce claims of his suitability in the long run.
Only time will tell if Lopetegui will return to the Premier League and if Palace made the right decision to hire Glasner, in what is set to be an interesting end to the 2023/24 calendar.
