Crystal Palace have identified Lucien Favre as a potential candidate to become the London club’s next manager. The Eagles haven’t yet appointed a new boss since Roy Hodgson walked away from the role at the end of the 2020-21 season.
As per The Guardian, Palace have reached out to Lucien Favre and there will be discussions between him and the Premier League side soon. The 63-year-old is reportedly interested in managing a Premier League side, with Everton also interested in signing him. Burnley manager Sean Dyche is also in the running to become the next Crystal Palace manager.
Favre’s last managerial job was at Borussia Dortmund, where he was the manager for two-and-a-half seasons, leading the German side to back-to-back second-place finishes.
Lucien Favre: The right man for the job?
Lucien Favre is an experienced manager who has coached for nearly three decades and has managed a few big European sides in recent years. He won the league with Swiss side Zurich with a very young squad and helped develop a few fine players. Favre then went on to manage Hertha Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach, before a short stint with French side Nice.
He is known to play fast, attacking football, and also give young players a chance in the first-team. The Swiss manager developed several youngsters at Dortmund who became household names during his spell at the club.
Crystal Palace are set to have an important summer as they will not only need a new manager to replace Hodgson but also sign several players as they released 22 players following the end of last season. While a few of them could return to the club as they may be engaged in contract negotiations with the London club, it’s unlikely that all of them will agree on contracts to stay on. Worryingly for Palace fans, their star player Wilfried Zaha, could also be sold.
Lucien Favre will be tasked with almost building a new team from scratch and give the side a new identity. Hodgson depended on several experienced players at Palace, but the new regime could go in a different direction. Palace’s style of play under the former England manager was not easy on the eye, but that could be changed with the appointment of Favre. The Swiss manager has the experience and know-how to build quick, attack-minded teams.
Palace have a few promising youngsters like Eberechi Eze, Tyrick Mitchell, and Jairo Riedewald in the first team, around whom a new side could be built by Favre. While Favre may not have prior Premier League experience, he has vast experience in Europe and could bring all of it to the London club.
But the club will also be guarded against going overboard with its expectations. The quiet solidity and assurance under Roy should not be taken for granted as many a club has failed to take the next step in the Premier League. Palace have to make sure they retain a semblance of stability while engineering a set-up that will be more realistic and act as a launchpad for the next few seasons.