Steve Cooper the 'most likely' manager to land Crystal Palace job | OneFootball

Former Nottingham Forest chief Steve Cooper has been linked with replacing Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace and transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT, what traits of the Welshman make him such an attractive option for the club's higher-ups, including chairman Steve Parish.

Hodgson, 76, has come under heavy scrutiny in recent months thanks to his side’s substandard results, which leaves them sitting 14th in the Premier League and, therefore, potentially flirting with the prospect of relegation come the end of the current campaign.

Whether Palace retain faith in the Englishman remains to be seen, but it is clear that a plethora of managers, Cooper and Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna most notably, have been earmarked in case results and performances do not see an improvement in the near future.

After replacing Patrick Vieira in the Selhurst Park dugout back in March 2023, the seasoned chief went about tidying up the Eagles and did so by securing a top-half finish in his inaugural season back at the helm. That said, his record in 2023/24 makes for grim reading and has, in turn, put his role in south London under threat.

So much so that Palace’s fixture against Brentford was pinpointed as a determining factor in Hodgson’s security – but both Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze were on hand to seal a 3-1 win over their London rivals, much to the relief of the boss. However, with Jones previously telling GIVEMESPORT that Palace officials are keen to see Cooper to take over the reins, Hodgson’s days in the dugout may still be numbered.

Per the Standard, Cooper is firmly in the frame to become the next Palace boss after being relieved of his Nottingham Forest duties in December 2023. After more than two years in charge, which included leading them back to the top division, the club’s higher-ups believed it was best to part ways and now Palace could be in line to pounce given their own woes.

Alongside Cooper as a potential candidate is McKenna, who is loudly making waves in the world of English management. The 37-year-old has Ipswich firing on all cylinders and posing a real threat at the top of England’s second tier, currently sitting in second spot, 10 points behind table-topping Leicester City.

According to the Sun, Palace could face stern competition from local rivals Brighton & Hove Albion for the services of McKenna, as the Seagulls have placed his name on the drawn-up emergency list of Roberto De Zerbi replacements. Whether it be Cooper or McKenna, their exuberance of youth – at least in comparison to Hodgson – would be a welcome sight at Selhurst Park.

Dean Jones on Cooper succeeding Hodgson

Jones stood by the fact that Cooper continues to be touted as the front-runner to replace Hodgson should the club part ways with the former England custodian on the back of all the information he has collated recently. He did, however, admit that the current Palace manager is not the type of character to ‘take nicely’ to being quizzed about his future and the possibility of suitors taking his place.

That said, the transfer insider insisted that it is no surprise that the Premier League outfit already have replacements in mind, whether that eventually be Cooper or Ipswich’s McKenna. Stating that the new boss will be younger and much more aligned with the modern era of club ongoings, he believes that the former Forest boss, Cooper, is ‘most likely’ to land the job. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said:

Palace eyeing January loan move for Arsenal star

To help keep his job for as long as humanly possible, Hodgson could use the January transfer window as a means of bolstering his squad options in the centre forward department, especially after failing to sign Southampton’s Che Adams over the summer months, though it was a decision in which Jones believes people around Palace were not phased by, he told GIVEMESPORT.

It is Arsenal outcast Eddie Nketiah who is now on their radar. The Englishman, who has notched five goals and three assists in his 19 domestic outings this term, is under contract at the Gunners until the summer of 2027 but is unlikely to see out the remainder of his terms given the lack of clarity over regular minutes.

Selhurst Park could be his next destination, with Palace keen to secure his services during January, per Football Transfers. The report suggests that, in Palace’s hopes of finding more goals in the second half of 2023/24, Nketiah could be the man to lead their line.

The deal, should it materialise, would only be on a temporary basis, however, as Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Palace do not have the financial capacity to take him on board permanently. The north Londoners turned down Palace’s opening offer for the out-of-favour Nketiah, per MailOnline, but whether their initial snub will deter the Palace higher-ups from tabling another bid remains to be seen.