Crystal Palace are now holding talks with Dino Toppmöller as Andoni Iraola stalls over his future.
Iraola is the number one target for Steve Parish after Oliver Glasner bowed out of Selhurst Park in style, but the Spaniard is taking his time as Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan also show interest, along with Liverpool.
Florian Plettenburg of Sky Germany claims Toppmöller is now being spoken to as the Eagles begin to explore alternatives, but who is he? Let’s take a look…
Who do YOU want as the next Crystal Palace boss? 🤔
Dino Toppmöller: The “relaxed guy” with a “huge understanding of football”
There are some similarities between Toppmöller and Glasner.
Both achieved success with Eintracht Frankfurt, with Toppmöller guiding the Germans to third in the Bundesliga in the 2024/25 campaign, securing UEFA Champions League football via the league for the first time in the club’s history.
The German typically uses a 4-2-3-1 formation, but has been known to regularly field a 3-4-2-1 shape like the system Glasner used at Crystal Palace.
Toppmöller is a flexible, adaptable coach, considering the 4-2-2-2 and 4-1-4-1 shapes have also been seen in his teams.
The 45-year-old has also received a strong footballing education, having assisted Julian Nagelsmann at both RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, while he has been described as a “relaxed” coach, another similarity to Glasner.
| Matches | W | D | L | Goals | Points | PPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 342 | 186 | 66 | 90 | 782:465 | 624 | 1.82 |
It was Nagelsmann himself who described Toppmöller as a calm figure, saying: “We chatted on the phone and knew instantly that we were on the same wavelength.
“Dino’s a relaxed guy who has an incredibly big heart and huge understanding of football. He’s a great addition to my coaching team and deserves a spell in the spotlight.”
Markus Krösche – Sporting Director at Eintracht Frankfurt – has previously added: “It was only a matter of time until Dino worked as a head coach in the Bundesliga. It was no surprise that Julian Nagelsmann took him with him to Bayern.
“The way he plays football fits with our philosophy. And as a former Eintracht player, who speaks fluent English and French, Dino will have no problems quickly finding his feet in Frankfurt.”
The official Bundesliga website described Toppmöller as someone who “succeeds in marrying well-organised defensive football with intense pressing and rapid counter-attacking transitions” and a coach who “likes his teams to rattle the opposition” during games.
Liverpool have now sacked Arne Slot – which is potentially why Iraola was stalling over his future – so we highly doubt the former AEK Larnaca manager will be coming to Crystal Palace anymore.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
- Full name: Dino Nicolas Toppmöller
- Age: 45
- Date of birth: 23 November 1980
- Height: 1.9m (6ft 3in)
- Nationality: Germany
- Place of birth: Wadern, West Germany
- Club: Currently unemployed (departed Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2026)
