Crystal Palace have parted ways with head coach Patrick Vieira following a 1-0 defeat away to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Wednesday.
The 46-year-old exits Selhurst Park after about 20 months in charge, leaving them in 12th place in the league standings, just three points above the relegation zone.
The loss at the Falmer Stadium had a number of Palace’s high-ranking officials in attendance, including one of their co-owners and US businessman Josh Harris, leaving many fans and experts somewhat prepared for the news of his sacking.
Vieira, who was the only black manager in the English top flight before his sacking, replaced former England manager Roy Hodgson in the South London outfit in July 2021, after stints at French side OGC Nice and Major League Soccer club New York City FC.
The former Arsenal midfielder led Palace to a 12th-place finish last term but has failed to motivate his wards as they have only won six games and managed to score 20 goals so far, the fourth-lowest goals scored in the league this campaign. He departs the Eagles with some members of his backroom staff, which includes Osian Roberts, Kristian Wilson, and Said Aigoun. However, Dean Kiely will remain as goalkeeping coach.
The news of his sacking was announced on the club’s website on Friday, with the team’s chairman, Steve Parish, thanking the former France midfielder for his hard work and the impact he has had on the club since he joined.
He said: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.
“That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues. He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival.
“Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service.
“We also wish Patrick, Osian, Kristian and Saïd the very best for their futures.”
The Eagles’ chairman also revealed that the process of appointing a new manager has begun with ex-Leeds United Jesse Marsch and former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl leading the race for the job early on.
Palace will however be without a manager when they move across to the North of London to face league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium for a lunchtime encounter on Sunday.
