Socceroos coach Tony Popovic is reportedly being considered for a manager role at an underperforming English Premier League club, which is set to move on its current boss imminently.
Pierre Sage is in line to claim the unwanted race of becoming the first Premier League manager of the season to be sacked after Crystal Palace sank to the bottom of the table with a 3-1 loss to Liverpool.
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In an ominous sign for Sage, Palace chairman Steve Parish missed last week’s Europa League draw against Hoffenheim after travelling to New York to meet with the club’s owners.
A two-week international break offers the perfect chance for Palace to make a change, particularly with huge games against relegation rivals Coventry and Hull to come next.
And according to The Athletic, Popovic is among several “potential successors” to replace Sage.
Other names floated in the report include former Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest bosses Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche. There’s also “admiration” for Coventry City’s Frank Lampard, while Vitor Pereira — who left Forest in early July — is also being considered.
Popovic is preparing to lead the Socceroos in two upcoming friendlies against Qatar and Jordan in the Middle East this week.
He led the Socceroos to the first round of knockouts at this year’s FIFA World Cup.
Popovic’s contract with Football Australia has been complicated by the fact the Asian Cup, due to be played in Saudi Arabia in January, has been postponed by a year due to the conflict in the Middle East. He was offered an extension through to the 2030 World Cup, but declined in favour of a shorter deal through to the end of the Asian Cup so that both parties could keep their options open.
Palace’s inability to defend set pieces has been a consistent scourge of Sage’s short reign and cost his side again at Selhurst Park.
A positive first-half performance was undone when Alexis Mac Allister headed in Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick and Liverpool never looked back.
— with AFP