Crystal Palace are reported to have former Arsenal enforcer Patrick Vieira among a host of fresh candidates to take over from Roy Hodgson – but Swansea City boss Steve Cooper isn’t mentioned.
Cooper became a candidate to take over at Selhurst Park earlier in the year, with Roy Hodgson’s future still uncertain. It came after a sterling push up into the top two of the Championship table from Swansea, who’ve since dropped off the boil.
That downturn in form has seemingly shoved Cooper down Crystal Palace’s managerial ‘shortlist’, which as per reports via Daily Mail includes the likes of Sean Dyche, former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe and former Derby County manager Frank Lampard.
He landed the Chelsea job after guiding the Rams to an unlikely play-off final in 2018, having since been sacked by the Blues this season.
Lampard’s Derby County showing though, and his first season at Chelsea suggests that he’s still a manager with potential and it shouldn’t be soon til we see him back in a dugout.
There were distant links to the England U21 job, but Lampard seems destined for a Premier League role and Palace could be the ideal fit – former Eagles chairman Simon Jordan has already backed the former England man to take over.
Like at Derby County, Lampard could use his Chelsea connections to bring in some big names and his reputation as a player could lure even more to Selhurst Park.
As for Swansea City fans, they’ll be glad to see Cooper’s name not being mentioned with the Crystal Palace job.
