Crystal Palace wait on Iraola response with Frank Lampard among the back-up plans
Crystal Palace entered a tight timetable to pick their next head coach last week after parting company with Oliver Glasner. At the centre of BBC Football's reporting is a shortlist topped by Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola. Details that have reached the BBC from chairman Steve Parish's and sporting director Dougie Freedman's deliberations indicate that a decision is targeted before the end of June.
Iraola turned Bournemouth from a mid-table Premier League side into one fighting for the upper half during his two seasons in charge. A sporting key carried by the BBC is whether the Spanish coach can fashion a similar identity from Selhurst Park's existing squad. Under Glasner, Palace built around wide players and quick transition; Iraola's pressing leans on a more compact, high-tempo block.
Comments reported by the BBC from those close to Iraola suggest the manager has not made a decision; his Bournemouth contract runs until 2027 and the club is willing to adjust salary to keep him in place. After a season that secured European competition football, Bournemouth's appetite to release Iraola is limited.
If Iraola declines, the BBC confirmed through two separate channels that Frank Lampard is on Palace's agenda. Lampard surprised Coventry to the Championship play-off final last season and is on multiple clubs' watchlists for a Premier League return. The former player offers Premier League management experience through his Chelsea and Everton spells; opinions inside the club, however, are mixed on how Lampard's tactical identity would integrate with the squad that emerged from Glasner's tenure.
The third step in the plan is Roberto De Zerbi, the former Brighton manager. The Italian left his Marseille post last month and is currently a free agent. A club official told the BBC: 'De Zerbi's football idea is much more positional than Glasner's; if the club wants a medium-to-long-term project, he is a serious candidate.' That comment was read as a sign the club wants to invest in long-term player development.
On the squad side, Palace face another piece of work in the transfer window. Star defender Marc Guéhi has a year left on his contract and the BBC has previously reported interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool. The new head coach appointment will be felt clearly in the strategy for retention and reinforcement. Palace's transfer budget is understood to be around £70 million, a figure that could move depending on Guéhi's departure.
A source within the club told the BBC that Freedman's meeting with Iraola had been highly constructive but that the coach would wait for an evaluation of Bournemouth's full season. Because European qualification is not yet sealed, the financial package Bournemouth can offer Iraola may sit a touch below the budget Palace had available under Glasner.
The dressing-room atmosphere following Glasner's departure is also being watched. The futures of veteran goalkeeper Dean Henderson and midfielder Adam Wharton are tied directly to the speed of the new appointment. Henderson grabbed an England call-up last season and wants to lock in his first-choice status. Wharton is comfortable in different systems but comments are circulating that suggest coaching changes could unsettle the foundation he has built.
The club also says it will keep an eye on academy investment alongside tactical identity. A Palace executive told the BBC: 'The number of players moving from the academy into the first team is at a three-year high; we expect a new head coach who is aligned with that philosophy.' Palace gave nine under-18 players Premier League minutes over the past three seasons, the sixth-highest rate in the league.
The final call is most likely to be announced by mid-June. The BBC notes Palace want to begin their pre-season camp in the second half of June, which will require coordination with the new coach. This article is not transfer or career advice; the figures and names rest on the sources circulated by BBC Sport and the final decisions will be made through the club's official statement.