Exclusive: Why Oliver Glasner beat Chelsea legend and current Prem boss to Crystal Palace job

Oliver Glasner was the number one choice to replace Roy Hodgson as the Crystal Palace manager ahead of Nuno Espirito Santo and Frank Lampard, and TEAMtalk can reveal why the Austrian was favoured.

The Austrian coach was the leading candidate to take over at Selhurst Park after his style of play and belief in young players quickly impressed Palace decision makers.

Roy Hodgson stepped down from his role as Crystal Palace manager on February 19 after he was taken to hospital having fallen ill during a training session.

Glasner was appointed as the 76-year-old’s successor on the same day, signing a contract until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Landing the former Eintracht Frankfurt boss was seen as a serious coup for Palace who had tracked the 49-year-old since the end of last season.

Palace Sporting director Dougie Freedman led the charge to bring a top coach to Selhurst Park in a bid to try and bring the club in line with the modern standard of the game.

The Eagles were already planning for life after Hodgson at the end of 2023 and conversations were held with multiple candidates over the past few months

Nuno Espirito Santo, who has since taken over at Nottingham Forest, was spoken with, while sources state former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard was also keen on the role.

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Glasner wows Palace chief Freedman

There were multiple scouting missions to watch Glasner’s Frankfurt side at the end of the 22/23 campaign and his playing style and use of players was instantly attractive to club figures.

The Austrian was also seen as a perfect fit due to the young squad at the club as he is a manager who believes strongly in youth and is not afraid to use players on the rise.

Palace have some of the most exciting players in the country breaking through their academy and this was one of the major reasons the Europa League winner was attracted to the role.

The club held multiple meetings with Glasner during the process of replacing Hodgson and all other candidates became quickly aware that Freedman had set his sights on the coach as his top target and the job was his if he wanted it.

Sources state that Palace were very quickly sold on Glasner and his presentations were of the highest standard and blew all other options out of the water. The club instantly began putting together an offer for their now boss.

An offer was quickly made to the out of contract coach who had offers from around Europe and one major money offer on the table from Saudi Arabia.

However to the delight of the Premier League side they landed their number one target and believe they have the right man at the helm to take the club forward.

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