Crystal Palace are edging towards appointing Frank de Boer as their new manager, following the departure of Sam Allardyce at the end of last season.
Despite leading the Eagles to Premier League safety last term, Allardyce stunned the club in May when he announced he was quitting his role as manager just five months after succeeding Alan Pardew. Since then the club’s chairman, Steve Parish, with assistance from major shareholders David Blitzer and Josh Harris, have undergone an extensive search for his replacement.
Their quest has been complicated slightly by Southampton’s decision to sack Carles Puel, meaning there were two established top-flight clubs looking for a new manager. De Boer had been linked heavily with both, but several reports now suggest it is Palace who look set to appoint the former Holland international who, as a player, is the third most represented for his country.
As a manager the 47-year-old ended a seven-year wait for the league title at Ajax, and went on to win it in four successive years from 2011 to 2014. When he left the Amsterdam club, he moved to Italy to take charge of Internazionale. This proved to be something of a disastrous move, though, as he lasted just three months before a run of just five wins resulted in his dismissal.
De Boer has been out of work since leaving the San Siro, in November of last year, but he is set to be in place at Selhurst Park well in time for pre-season training on 2 July. He is expected to be given funds to improve his squad, and is also thought to be tasked with bringing in players aged between 21 and 25 who have maybe not quite delivered at the bigger clubs in the division.
