No one can deny that Roy Hodgson has done exactly the job that he was brought in for, and, as a result, it appears that Crystal Palace will again be a Premier League team in 2023/24.
That’s something that wasn’t a forgone conclusion whilst Patrick Vieira was in charge as the Eagles hadn’t won a single game in the calendar year 2023 before the Frenchman was relieved of his duties.
Palace currently sit 12th in the English top-flight table, per the official Premier League website, and probably need just three more points to ensure their status for another season.
One more win would take them to the mythical 40-point mark, which always appears to be the number given when looking at what points are needed for Premier League safety.
Hodgson’s excellence has seemingly allowed Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman to plan ahead a bit sooner than perhaps that would have had they not made the decision to sack Vieira.
According to 90Min, the south Londoners are interested in Ademola Lookman, who currently plies his trade with Atalanta in Serie A.
He did of course previously play for Palace’s Premier League rivals, Everton, where his former colleague, Lucas Digne, described him as a ‘gem’ on the official Everton website.
The Toffees went on to sell him for £16m per Sky Sports, and if Palace get their way, he could be making a return to England for the start of the new season.