Patrick Vieira appointed new Crystal Palace manager

Patrick Vieira is the new manager at Crystal Palace. He replaces Roy Hodgson who decided to leave the club at the end of last season after four years.

Vieira is best known for his time at Arsenal when they had the Invincibles under Arsene Wenger between 1997 and 2005.  After that, he went on to play at Juventus, Inter Milan and Man City before retiring in 2011. 

He then moved into coaching and began at Man City's academy before moving to take charge of partner club New York City in the MLS in 2016. He finished 2nd in the MLS in two seasons at the club before moving to Nice in 2018. He came 7th and 5th in his two campaigns at the club, yet more proof of his managerial ability.

"I’m delighted and excited that Patrick has agreed to join Crystal Palace as our manager. We have a lot to do to prepare in the coming weeks and I look forward to working closely with Patrick and Dougie in bringing in some new faces to help us all to a successful season," Palace chairman Steve Parish said. 

Patrick Vieira also revealed his delight at being offered the job. "I am really excited to have this opportunity to return to the Premier League, and manage this great football club, as we begin a new chapter together. It is a project that is really appealing to me, having spoken a lot with the Chairman and Sporting Director about their ambition and plans for the whole club, including the Academy. The club has fantastic foundations in place after many years in the Premier League, and I hope we can make further improvements and continue to drive the club forward," he began. 

He also talked positively about the club's fans: "I am also very excited to experience the atmosphere the club’s supporters make at Selhurst Park and away from home too, and I know just how important that can be for the team," he concluded.

His first competitive game in charge will be a Premier League match away to Chelsea on 14th August.

 

July 4, 2021