Patrick van Straaten has been discussing where some of football’s best unemployed managers could end up next season on the latest instalment of Football Daily’s Sunday Vibes, and spent some time talking about Chris Wilder and a potential vacancy at Crystal Palace.
Roy Hodgson’s contract at Selhurst Park is set to expire over the summer, and the two parties appear no closer to agreeing on an extension for the 73-year-old’s current deal.
The ongoing situation has led to several big names being linked with the south London club ahead of next season, and Van Straaten believes former Sheffield United boss Wilder should be in the running should Hodgson depart.
Wilder left the Blades after four and a half successful years at his hometown club earlier in the campaign, despite guiding them to a ninth-placed finish in the Premier League in 2019/20.
Despite things turning sour at Bramall Lane this time around, Van Straaten still rates the 53-year-old highly and believes the Eagles should consider appointing him.
He said: “I don’t see why he shouldn’t back himself to get a Premier League job. I rate Chris. My opinion of Chris Wilder has not really been changed at all by this season.
“I still think he’s a fantastic manager who’s going to overachieve with talent. If I were a club like Palace, he’d be really, really high on my list, really high. I certainly agree that he’d be above Patrick Vieira. He’d certainly be above guys like Eddie Howe. To me, anyone who’s considering Eddie Howe should cross him off their list and replace him with Chris Wilder.
“Because it’s staggering to me that we live in a world where Eddie Howe is talked about for a job like the Spurs job, or Steve Bruce continues to get managerial jobs in the Premier League but someone like Chris Wilder, we’re saying, well, maybe he’ll have to settle for a job at the top of the Championship.”
TIF Thoughts on Wilder to Palace…
Wilder built an impressive reputation for himself during his time with Sheffield United, guiding the south Yorkshire side to two promotions as well as a top-half Premier League finish.
Palace have several first-team stars out of contract over the summer and could see it as the perfect time to change manager and try and move the club on.
While Hodgson has performed admirably with the capital club, though Wilder would arguably be an improvement on the ageing ex-England boss, and Palace could do a lot worse than listen to Van Straaten’s advice if Wilder’s previous is anything to go by.
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