Oliver Glasner has been appointed as the new manager of Crystal Palace after Roy Hodgson stepped down earlier on Monday.
Glasner, 49, has signed a deal to take charge of the Eagles until the end of the 2025-26 season, his appointment swiftly confirmed after Hodgson said he would be leaving to allow the club to "bring forward their plans to appoint a new manager." His former assistant Paddy McCarthy and first team coach Ray Lewington will take charge of Palace on Monday night for a crucial Premier League clash with Everton.
Glasner's arrival came soon after Hodgson left hospital having been taken ill on Thursday morning. By that time it was already apparent that Palace intended to appoint the Austrian, a Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022. Glasner was in the crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Spurs will be his second opponent as Palace boss with the new manager expected to be in the dugout for the visit of Burnley to Selhurst Park at the weekend.
"I am very happy to join Crystal Palace F.C. as manager," said Glasner. "I am looking forward to working with the talented squad, meeting the club's supporters and experiencing the Selhurst Park atmosphere I have heard so much about. It has been a pleasure to meet with Steve and Dougie, and I am looking forward to working with them to achieve our goals."
Earlier in his career, the new Palace manager earned widespread admiration for leading LASK to second place in the Austrian Bundesliga for the first time in 57 years before moving to Germany. There he guided Wolfsburg to seventh and fourth place finishes while at Frankfurt he finished 11th while winning European honors and seventh in a season where they reached the knockout stages of the Champions League.
"I'm delighted to welcome Oliver to the club," said Palace chairman Steve Parish. "He has an outstanding record, and we believe he is the right manager to take the club forward at this pivotal stage. Wherever Oliver has gone so far in his managerial journey, success has been quick to follow, and we believe his ambition, as well as his exciting and attacking approach, is the perfect fit for getting the most from our talented young squad in the remainder of this Premier League season and beyond."
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Hodgson, meanwhile, departs having led Palace in 200 matches over two separate spells and six seasons. The veteran of 48 years in management began his career as an academy player at Selhurst Park.
"This club is very special and means so much to me and has played a big part in my footballing life," he said. "I have fully enjoyed my time here across six seasons, as it has given me the chance to work with top class players and staff doing what I love every day. However, I understand, given recent circumstances, it may be prudent at this time for the club to plan ahead, and therefore I have taken the decision to step aside so that the club can bring forward their plans for a new manager, as intended for this summer."
Hodgson's final game in charge was a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea a week ago, a result that left Palace 15th in the table, just five points ahead of tonight's opponents Everton in 18th. The Eagles have won just two of their last 13 in the top flight and fan dissatisfaction with the veteran coach had been intensifying, particularly after a 4-1 loss to rivals Brighton.
Despite that, Hodgson will depart a much admired figure in south London for the work he did in stabilising Palace as a Premier League club, first by succeeding Frank de Boer after a disastrous start to the 2017-18 season before doing the same last season when Patrick Vieira's side were struggling. In his time in charge the club never finished lower than 14th in the Premier League, albeit they never finished higher than 11th.
"Roy has a special place in Crystal Palace history and this will never be forgotten," said Parish. "After four years in which he led the club to maintaining Premier League status season after season, he once again joined us nearly a year ago to steady the ship, and worked wonders. That he then agreed to continue in the summer speaks volumes about his commitment to our club. Quite simply, we owe our continued Premier League status to Roy.
"I would like to thank Roy enormously for his service and wish him the very best for the future; it's fair to say Roy has the keys to Selhurst Park and will always be welcomed back. On a personal note I would also like to thank Roy for his support, his professionalism and his friendship. He's been the manager for half of the time we've been in the Premier League, I've enjoyed working with him and learning from him immensely."
