Roy Hodgson is undergoing tests in hospital after being taken ill during a training session on Thursday as Crystal Palace were lining up Oliver Glasner to replace him, with the Austrian understood to have agreed a deal to take over.
Palace were forced to cancel a press conference on Thursday at just 37 minutes’ notice after Hodgson was unable to complete the session at the club’s training ground in south London, with assistant Paddy McCarthy understood to have taken over when the former England manager felt unwell and required medical treatment. It is understood that the Palace chairman Steve Parish accompanied Hodgson to hospital on the advice of medical staff at the club and that he is now recovering after receiving care.
“Following news that Roy Hodgson was taken ill during today’s training session, we can confirm that he is now stable and is currently undergoing tests in hospital. Everybody at the club sends their best wishes to Roy for a speedy recovery,” read a post from Palace’s official account on X, formerly Twitter on Thursday although that was subsequently deleted.
Palace had earlier confirmed the press conference would no longer take place as scheduled after Hodgson “was taken ill” during a training session. It is not the first time this season that Hodgson’s health has suffered. In September, the 76-year-old – who is the Premier League’s oldest-ever manager – was forced to miss Palace’s match at Aston Villa after being taken to hospital on the morning of the game.
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Parish was expected to sack Hodgson after he held further talks with Glasner on Thursday. Hodgson’s position is understood to have come under intense scrutiny after the defeat by Chelsea on Monday night, with Parish believed to have decided that a change was needed after a run of four wins in 18 league games which has dragged the club into a relegation battle.
Glasner, out of work since leaving Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of last season, became Palace’s preferred choice after an attempt to persuade Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna to take over failed.
Glasner is understood to have held talks with Parish and the Palace sporting director, Dougie Freedman, and has agreed a contract worth about £4.5 million a season until 2026, with the option of a further year. The situation is complicated by Hodgson’s illness, however, with his assistants Ray Lewington and McCarthy now expected to take charge of Palace’s game against Everton on Monday night as he recovers.
Glasner, a 49-year-old former defender, led Eintracht to victory in the Europa League in 2022, defeating West Ham in the semi-finals. He previously coached Wolfsburg for two seasons having made his name with Linz in Austria.
Hodgson was brought back by Palace last March to replace his replacement, Patrick Vieira, and a solid run of results earned the former England manager a further contract at the club he previously managed from September 2017 to May 2021. This season, however, has brought diminishing returns for an injury-hit side, who have been drawn into the relegation fight.
Hodgson recently described Palace’s predicament as “the toughest period of my career for one reason, and that is that the fans have turned so much against us”. The Palace defender Joachim Andersen was pulled away from an angry exchange with fans after a defeat at Brighton and banners have called for the board’s removal and referred to “no shared vision, no structured plan”. One banner displayed at the Chelsea game took aim at “weak club culture and direction”.
Hodgson’s expected departure would appear to signal the end of a long and distinguished managerial career that began with in Sweden with Halmstad in 1976 and has included spells with Inter, Fulham and Liverpool.
Hodgson has been hampered recently by injuries to Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise, two of his most creative players. Olise returned from a hamstring injury against Brighton but managed just over 10 minutes before limping off.
Palace were the highest Premier League spenders in the January window, bringing in the midfielder Adam Wharton from Blackburn and defender Daniel Muñoz from Genk. – Guardian
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