Roy Hodgson was twice Crystal Palace manager, overseeing 200 games in charge of the club and helping to stabilise the Eagles in the Premier League.
Roy Hodgson has seemingly called time on what was an illustrious and far-reaching managerial career, which saw him manage some of the best teams in world football along with England and other national sides too.
In England, he might be best remembered for his time at Crystal Palace. He wasn’t the contemporary coach that Oliver Glasner is, but Hodgson certainly got results.
He was an an old school manager and he was never too far from an outburst in interviews. In fact, one that Palace fans might remember came after a 2-1 defeat against Spurs back in October 2023.
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Roy Hodgson called out Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and two others at Crystal Palace
Palace were chasing the game away at Spurs back in October 2023. Hodgson then made a triple substitution in the second half, giving run outs to youngsters Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Matheus Franca and Naouirou Ahamada.
But speaking to The Standard after the game, Hodgson didn’t hide his disappointment in the young trio, even suggesting that Crystal Palace looked a whole lot worse with those three players on the pitch.
Hodgson said: “There was no disappointment today. Although, maybe the young substitutes — who we like to think we can believe in and help us to a different level — didn’t show that. They didn’t do anything for us at all, really. We became much weaker when I made the substitutions.”
What are those three Crystal Palace players up to now?
Perhaps surprisingly, all three players remain at Selhurst Park. But none have really lived up to the hype, Rak-Sakyi especially.
He was hot property after his 2022/23 loan spell with Crystal Palace where he scored 15 and assisted eight more in League One. But he could never make it work in the Palace first-team and this summer, Rak-Sakyi went out on loan to Turkey.
After picking up an injury, Rak-Sakyi scored his first two goals for Rizespor in their most recent win over Antalyaspor.
Franca is out on loan with Vasco De Gama where he’s failing to really make much of an impression, with five league games under his belt after the young Brazilian featured four times in the Premier League last season, scoring once.
Ahamada remains with Palace following an uneventful loan spell with Rennes last season. At 23 and out of contract in 2026, it looks like he’ll leave next summer, potentially along with Franca and Rak-Sakyi unless they can pull something out of the bag this season.
