Crystal Palace are backing up their search for a new manager and one of their targets has resigned.
Palace’s season ends after one game.
The South Londoners travel to Leipzig on Wednesday night to take on Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final. This is the biggest game in the club’s European history, a chance to add Continental silverware to the FA Cup and Community Shield already in the cabinet, and the perfect way to ratify Oliver Glasner’s tenure before the Austrian exits.
Who will replace him remains the defining question of Palace’s summer.
Andoni Iraola has been a prime target in recent weeks, but the Bournemouth manager has already turned down the club twice and now attracts serious rival interest from Bayer Leverkusen.
Crystal Palace hold talks with title-winning manager as rival emerges from Andoni Iraola
The Eagles face competition for Bournemouth’s popular coach.
Filipe Luis, 40, a former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid full-back who won eight trophies in 18 months with Flamengo before being shockingly sacked in March, is also in talks with Palace bosses.
However, neither has been confirmed and the clock is ticking.
Now, a familiar name is back on the scene, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Robbie Keane resigns as Ferencvaros manager following interest in Crystal Palace
In fact, former Leeds assistant coach Robbie Keane has resigned as head coach of Ferencvaros in Hungary, according to multiple reports in Hungary and confirmed by talkSPORT.
The 45-year-old Irishman won the Hungarian top flight title in his first season and led the club to victory over Magyar Kupa this season, but will step down after a year and a half in charge.
He also guided Ferencvaros to the round of 16 of the Europa League, managing a team that remained competitive despite being eliminated by Braga and narrowly losing the domestic title to ETO Gyor.
Palace had their eye on Keane in February.
GiveMeSport reported at the time that the club considered him a genuine candidate to replace Glasner, with sources close to Keane expecting him to leave Ferencvaros at the end of the season.
Keene’s business results are hard to argue with.
Prior to Ferencvaros, he won the Israeli Premier League title as his first senior coach with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Two league titles in two countries in three years, a domestic cup competition and an appearance in the knockout phase of the Europa League represent a high-profile career.
Especially for a club like Palace, they need a manager capable of competing in Europe, developing young players and building an identity from the ground up.
He’s not without competition.
Celtic are also keen to bring Keane back to Parkhead, where he scored 12 goals in 16 appearances during a memorable loan spell in 2010.
Slovakia’s Bratislava have also expressed interest, but Palace could offer the Premier League, potential European football and the resources of a club on an upward trajectory.
Whether Keane ends up at Selhurst Park or Glasgow could be determined by which club makes the quickest move.
Crystal Palace bosses highlight former Birmingham City star as ‘ideal contract’ and start negotiations
The Eagles are getting busy.
