Crystal Palace have reportedly failed to poach Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna as he is reluctant to jump ship with his side in the Premier League promotion hunt.
Chairman Steve Parish spoke with McKenna’s camp but he is unwilling to leave with Ipswich fourth in the Championship, while Palace are 15th in the top flight.
Palace still hope he could take the reins at the end of the season and Parish would prefer to replace Hodgson then, but McKenna won’t commit to that due to Ipswich’s current upward trajectory, as per The Guardian.
They are also reportedly monitoring Oliver Glasner, the Austrian who led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory and a domestic cup final before leaving in June 2023, according to The Telegraph.
Hodgson has insisted Palace can emerge from their ‘bad period’ before their season crumbles but a run of four wins in 18 Premier League games has heightened the threat of relegation.
Kieran McKenna does not want to leave Ipswich right now despite Crystal Palace’s advances
Steve Parish met his representatives and is still hopeful McKenna would join at the end of the season
The mood has soured among the Eagles faithful in recent weeks, with furious fans unfurling banners blaming ‘wasted potential’ and ‘weak decisions’ after the 5-0 loss to Arsenal last month.
Hodgson narrowly avoided being struck by a missile launched from the Selhurst Park stands earlier this year and afterwards claimed supporters had been ‘spoiled’ by the club in recent years.
This is Palace’s longest continuous run in the top flight in their history, now on to their 11th-straight season following promotion in 2013.
However, a talented crop of players including Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise has often looked shackled and they have slumped to 15th in the table, just five points above the drop zone.
They took the lead against Chelsea on Monday night but conceded an equaliser just after the break and capitulated in stoppage time, shipping twice to surrender a point.
Conor Gallagher scored twice against his old club to fuel the Blues’ comeback and condemn Palace to a third league defeat in four games.
Hodgson has labelled this the ‘toughest period’ of his career but will be desperate to see out the job at a club who he has led to a generally stable Premier League stint.
Meanwhile, Ipswich boss McKenna is on the up and can seemingly do no wrong.
Roy Hodgson is under the microscope after a run of four wins in 18 games, with palace threatened by relegation
Palace have suffered heavy recent defeats, including a 5-0 loss at Arsenal and 4-1 at Brighton
Fans have been vocal in their dissatisfaction and Hodgson their lack of supportiveness
The former Manchester United coach led Ipswich to second place and automatic promotion from League One last campaign after they had had endured three average seasons.
Now they are competing with recent Premier League drop-outs Southampton and Leeds United for second place in the Championship.
More broadly, McKenna has reinvigorated Ipswich with optimism after years of mediority and dismay.
Last week, when asked about stories linking him to Palace, he said: ‘My full focus and commitment is with Ipswich and the season that we’re having and the next game ahead.’
