Who could replace Sam Allardyce as Crystal Palace manager?

The clubs stadium in Selhurst Park, Croydon. Pic: Wikimedia Commons

With Sam Allardyce riding off into the sunset of retirement after successfully securing Crystal Palace’s Premier League status for another season, the Eagles must now look ahead to next season to work out who’s going to be at the helm for the 2017/18 season.

Here’s a look at the top five candidates to take over from Big Sam this summer in east London.

Sean Dyche

Sean Dyche. Pic: Wikimedia Commons

The current Burnley boss is said to be attracted to Palace given his ambition to manage at a higher level than financially restricted Burnley. This could go hand-in-hand with Palace’s higher transfer budget and bigger name stars, such as Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke.

Famed for his organised style of play and defensive solidity, Dyche could be just what the Eagles need to shore up their back line, especially if last season’s saviour Mamadou Sakho proves too expensive for Palace to sign permanently.

Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson. Pic: Wikimedia Commons

The former England boss is looking for a way back into management following his disastrous tenure in charge of the Three Lions. Yes, he probably wouldn’t be a popular appointment with fans, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that he had successful spells in charge of West Brom and Fulham – the latter of which he led to a Europa League final.

Roger Schmidt

Roger Schmidt. Pic: Wikimedia Commons

Although a relatively unknown name in England, Schmidt has been quite successful coaching in Germany, guiding Bayer Leverkusen to a Champions League finish in both his consecutive seasons.

Talking of his playing style, Schmidt told The Independent: “We play intense football.

“One of our main points is a good organisation against the ball. We try to win the ball very early, very close to the goal of the opposition. We try to be very fast to the ball, and switch to the offensive. It is a little bit similar to Tottenham.”

Mauricio Pellegrino

Mauricio Pellegrino. Pic: Wikimedia Commons

This is to some extent a wildcard pick. Pellegrino was in charge of La Liga strugglers Alaves last season, defying the odds and guiding them to a 9th place finish. However, the Argentinian has now resigned his post.

He was Rafa Benitez’s assistant at Liverpool, and told The Sun of where his future ambitions as a manager lie. He said: “I would love to manage in England. The Premier League is the most exciting in the world.

“I loved my two seasons as a coach at Liverpool and playing for them for half a season, too. Mauricio [Pochettino] did a great job by going to England with Southampton and he has done unbelievably well with Tottenham.

“He has hopefully given Argentine managers a good reputation!”

With Pochettino paving the way for successful Argentinians in the Premier League, could Pellegrino be the next success from South America?

Garry Monk

Garry Monk. Pic: Wikimedia Commons

After spells in charge of Swansea and Leeds, the young English manager is one of the hottest prospects in management at the moment. It remains to be seen whether he can step up to be in charge of a side with the financial clout of Palace. He will be used to handling extremely passionate fans and a volatile board structure, given his time at Leeds under the ownership of soon-to-be-Bond-villain Massimo Cellino.

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