Exclusive – Crystal Palace had hoped to appoint Swansea City’s Steve Cooper as their new manager, but the cost of his release clause has led the Eagles to turn to Lucien Favre.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss is now in advanced negotiations with Palace over a deal to replace Roy Hodgson, who resigned at the end of last season.
The quest for Favre seems to be the conclusion of a long search for a new boss, who saw an agreement for Nuno Espirito Santo collapse late and Eddie Howe, Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche will all be considered.
After the Nuno deal broke down, Palace evaluated their options and sources have confirmed for 90 minutes that the Eagles are focusing on Cooper, who has impressed during his time with championship side Swansea.
However, Palace’s interests met with strong opposition from the swans, who refused to give their boss permission to talk to Palace until his £ 3 million release clause was met and Palace refused to pay.
Steve Cooper on touchline during Championship playoff final / Athena Pictures / Getty Images
For Swansea, that fee was not negotiable, as the Welsh club see Cooper as the man to lead them back to the Premier League after losing the playoffs in 2020/21, and talks between the two sides quickly merged.
Favre’s interest in the position arose shortly after and talks with the 63-year-old Swiss have developed well, with sources close to the situation confirming that Palace are ecstatic about the possibility of working with Favre.
Palace looks forward to working with Favre / Lars Baron / Getty Images
Seen as a manager who can help smaller sides to beat their weight, Favre received impeccable references from those around him. The boss is known as an easy-going coach who favors an attack-oriented style of play, and that’s exactly what Palace is looking for.
An agreement with Favre is not yet completely certain, but there is optimism from both sides that everything will be arranged soon, with Favre’s need to obtain a work permit as the only probable obstacle from this point.
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