Like all good love stories, Crystal Palace and Oliver Glasner's relationship will come to an end this summer.
The Eagles fanbase can take solace in the fact that Glasner led them to FA Cup and Community Shield titles in 2025. But his immortal presence at Selhurst Park could deepen with a triumphant Conference League campaign.
Palace welcome Shakhtar Donetsk to south London on Thursday, and they welcome them with a two-goal advantage after winning 3-1 in Ukraine last week.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner before the match
It's been something of a turbulent camapign for the Eagles, but they are secure in the middle of the Premier League and may yet crown this era with the ultimate achievement: winning European silverware and ascending to the next grade of continental competition.
How Palace plan to replace Glasner
Crystal Palace have one foot in the final, and it's all thanks to Glasner, who has fashioned a golden age from Roy Hodgson's struggling squad.
However, the Austrian coach announced in January that he would leave the club at the end of the season, and now, in spite of his side's sharp upswing over the past several months, he maintains that decision.
According to Sky reporter James Savundra, Crystal Palace have compiled a six-man shortlist as they prepare to replace Glasner, and while the likes of Frank Lampard and Kieran McKenna are admired, Andoni Iraola is the outstanding candidate.
andoni-iraola-bournemouth
The outgoing Bournemouth boss is one of the most exciting up-and-coming coaches around, but given that Chelsea and Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in him, it's not going to be an easy one to pull off.
Nonetheless, Palace can offer a stable and exciting project to the 43-year-old, who could build from the foundations laid by Glasner and take the south Londoners to even richer ground, perhaps emulating his one-time youth teammate Mikel Arteta.
Why Iraola could be Palace's own Arteta
Arteta dispatched Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night to advance to the final of the Champions League. His side have made remarkable progress over the past six years, no longer a laughing stock but instead an elite outfit, feared across Europe.
In Iraola, Palace truly could land a coach with promising similarities to the Gunners boss, whose career in north London is a testament to belief and perserverence and a culture that everyone at the club buys into.
The Spaniard grew up alongside Arteta in Basque Country, playing in the same youth team as his lifelong friend. Now, both manage in the Premier League, and with contrasting approaches too.
Iraola has worked wonders at the Vitality with Bournemouth, turning them into a team who have an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League with only a handful of fixtures remaining.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola
An intense and front-footed focus underpins all that the Cherries do, and that is a tactical approach that Palace fans would embrace, deviating away from the structures in place under Glasner's management.
That's not to say that the Crystal Palace manager is overly pragmatic, but he is certainly unique in how his 4-2-3-1 system operates and this could be a style that caters toward progress as a team challenging for Europe and silverware each year.
Premier League 25/26 - Most Chances Created
Team
(1) Liverpool
(2) Man City
(3) Man United
(4) Arsenal
(5) Chelsea
(6) Bournemouth
(7) Crystal Palace
Palace are not as fundamentally creative in their structure, and while Glasner has wrought a strong and stable system, Iraola might be a cut above, someone whose vision correllates with fluid and exciting attacking football, forward passing and an intensity that overwhelms opponents.
For that, he is an elite manager, and while the likes of Chelsea are always a compelling option for a talented manager, Palace could be the more prudent step, especially if they qualify for the Europa League by winning yet another major honour under Glasner's wing.
Make no mistake, Iraola will have big boots to fill, but he has the expertise and passion to succeed in the Premier League. It would be a dreamy appointment, for sure.
Andoni Iraola-Bournemouth
Glasner has made it clear that he will not have a change of heart regarding his position at the Selhurst Park. Conference League triumph and a road into a higher grade of continental competition will not turn that tide.
Many would welcome a twist in that tale, but if Iraola is inclined to choose Palace as the next step in his exciting managerial career, the Eagles might just land a long-term project manager cut from the same cloth as Arteta.
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