Chris Hughton admits he would be interested in talking to Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace about their managerial vacancies.
Following a run of just one win in the last three months Sami Hyypia handed in his notice at the Seagulls before Christmas, leaving the side in the Championship relegation zone. Nathan Jones took the reins for the Boxing Day clash at home to Reading – a 2-2 draw which does little for their bid to escape the bottom three – whilst a permanent replacement is being sought by the club.
Palace, meanwhile, became the first Premier League club to sack a manager this season. This came following the disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Southampton on Boxing Day, which saw the Selhurst Park side slip into the drop zone and proved to be the final match of Neil Warnock’s second spell in charge, after he returned to the club to succeed Tony Pulis back in August.
As both clubs look to appoint a new manager to help them avoid relegation from their respective divisions, Hughton has placed his name firmly in the hat. Speaking on Sky Sports show Goals on Sunday, the former Newcastle United, Birmingham City and Norwich City boss told the hosts that he is ready to return to the game and would be interested in both positions.
“With Palace you have got a side that are in the Premier League and fared extremely well last season,” he said. “Brighton have a wonderful structure and a wonderful stadium, new training facilities, and, of course, they are a side that have been very close to the play-offs in two previous seasons. They are both good jobs and I think any manager who is out of work would be interested.”
Hughton led Newcastle to the Championship title in 2010, before being controversially sacked the following season. In 2011-12 he led Birmingham to fourth-place in the second-tier, before they lost to Blackpool in the playoff semi-final. He guided Norwich to a respectable 11th place finish in the Premier League in 2012-13, before he was dismissed towards the end of last term when it became evident that the Canaries were in a serious relegation fight; a battle they eventually lost.
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