Palace Hunting for Glasner Successor: Who's in the Frame?

Crystal Palace know the clock is ticking on Oliver Glasner's tenure at Selhurst Park. The Austrian will depart when the season concludes, though there's every possibility he could make an earlier exit should results continue their downward spiral.

The search for his replacement has already begun in earnest, with the bookmakers offering a tantalising menu of possibilities. Some names crop up repeatedly in transfer gossip; others represent intriguing left-field options.

Roger Schmidt currently leads the betting. The German holds the title of global sports director for the J League—which sounds considerably more impressive than it probably is—though his most recent hands-on managerial experience came at Benfica and PSV. It's an interesting emergence into what remains, for now, a largely speculative market.

Gareth Southgate sits at the bottom of the odds, which feels rather fitting given his apparent disinterest in returning to club management. The former England boss has seemingly embraced life beyond the touchline with considerable enthusiasm, yet Premier League clubs with emotional hooks continue to circle nonetheless.

Jose Bordalas sits at 3-1. The Getafe manager's name has done the rounds at Palace before, though club president Angel Torres was quick to pour cold water on speculation last year, noting that Bordalas is perfectly content in Spain and, rather pertinently, doesn't speak English. At 61, though, the prospect of one final lucrative Premier League challenge might prove tempting enough to overcome such obstacles.

Roberto Martinez and Kieran McKenna share 4-1 odds. Martinez, Portugal's national team boss, hasn't managed at club level for a decade—an eternity in modern football—though the World Cup summer could present a natural parting point. McKenna, meanwhile, is currently steering Ipswich back towards the Premier League, retaining that "Next Big Thing" sheen that might well appeal to Palace's hierarchy.

Thomas Frank, Paulo Fonseca, and Cesc Fabregas all sit at 6-1. Frank has excelled at mid-table level with Brentford, a proven track record that would surely translate well. Fonseca and Fabregas represent the "failed Tottenham appointment" and "failed Tottenham experiment" categories respectively—though Fabregas, currently doing intriguing work with Como in Serie A, feels the more compelling proposition.

Brendan Rodgers and Steve Cooper complete the 9-1 bracket. Rodgers could potentially be lured back from Saudi Arabia, though football's increasing corporatisation in his absence might prove off-putting. Cooper, managing Brondby, will inevitably attract links to middling Premier League posts, as British football remains convinced its exiles can be easily tempted home, regardless of their contentment abroad.

Among the more widely discussed candidates are Andoni Iraola and Frank Lampard, though neither currently appear among the favoured odds.