Crystal Palace are trying to tempt a former Middlesbrough boss to replace Oliver Glasner on an interim basis, according to a new report.
Crystal Palace make Oliver Glasner decision after direct talks
Palace are in crisis.
One win in their last 15 games across all competitions has left Selhurst Park simmering with frustration, and the boiling point arrived on Thursday night in the most humiliating of circumstances.
Jefferson Lerma for Crystal Palace
Glasner watched on as travelling Palace supporters chanted for his removal during their Conference League first leg against Bosnian outfit Zrinjski Mostar — a side playing in a stadium that holds barely 9,000 fans.
The Eagles, for all their recruitment in the January window, could only manage a 1-1 draw against the minnows.
The mood among supporters making that long trip to eastern Europe said everything about where this club currently stands.
Glasner had already confirmed in January that he would be departing at the end of the season, telling chairman Steve Parish last October that he was ready for a new challenge.
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That announcement changed the dynamic at Selhurst Park irreversibly.
What followed was a slow unravelling — poor results, brutal self-assessment in press conferences, and now fans openly turning on the man who made Palace history just months ago.
His public comments this week made matters considerably worse.
Glasner admitted that he was simply not good enough to cope with the schedule, to integrate new players, or to replace those who had departed.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner reacts
For a manager still in the dugout with a dozen Premier League games still to play, the words landed like a grenade.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed talks took place on Friday between Glasner and the Palace board, with his departure potentially being brought forward.
By Friday evening, the decision was made — Glasner would stay, for now, but that could change at any moment.
It is against that backdrop that Football Insider journalist Wayne Veysey is reporting Palace are exploring a remarkable short-term solution — one that would bring a genuine club legend back to Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace 'trying to persuade' Gareth Southgate to join
According to their information, Palace are 'trying to persuade' Gareth Southgate to step in as interim manager until the end of the season.
Gareth-Southgate-Steve-Holland-England-Euro-2024
The 55-year-old made 191 appearances for the Eagles as a player and has deep connections with the south London club, making him a natural fit should the board decide Glasner cannot see the season through.
Southgate has been out of management since leaving the England job in 2024, having previously been linked with the vacancy at Man United.
He has not managed at club level since his final season at Middlesbrough in 2009, where he was unable to prevent the club's relegation to the Championship.
Whether he has the appetite to return in a caretaker capacity remains unclear, but Palace are apparently hopeful his emotional ties to Selhurst could be the deciding factor.
England-Southgate-Euro-2024-Runners-up
Southgate led England through their most successful period since 1966, guiding them to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final, with Prince William calling him a 'class act'.
As we exclusively reported on February 10, Palace have been targeting Southgate, and he was also a surprise name on the shortlist at Leicester City before they appointed Gary Rowett.
For the longer term, Thomas Frank — who was recently sacked by Tottenham — remains Palace's primary target to take over on a permanent basis next summer, at least according to Veysey.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank during the press conference
What he achieved during his seven years at Brentford with limited resources has not been forgotten, and with Palace facing a summer of potential further departures, his profile fits the rebuild they are planning.
The Glasner era is ending. The only question now is exactly when.
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