Patrick Vieira has been officially announced as the new Crystal Palace manager this evening. The former player has signed a contract with the Eagles until 2024, and after being considered by Newcastle and Arsenal in the past, finally gets his chance in the Premier League.
“It’s 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,” Vieira said.
“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. I’m 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.”
The former player hung up his boots at Manchester City and started his coaching career there. He first managed the youth team and then became the manager of the reserve team. He previously managed New York City FC in the MLS and managed Nice in France last.
He won more regular-season games than any other manager in the American League and left out of choice to take up the job in France. He was sacked after the Europa League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen and has been out of a job since.
Nuno Espirito Santo and former Dortmund manager Lucien Favre were very close to replacing Roy Hodgson. But, Vieira has ultimately been chosen above them.
