JUST IN: Crystal Palace Sack Manager, Patrick Viera

Crystal Palace have confirmed that Patrick Vieira has been sacked as the club’s first-team manager.

The Arsenal FC legend was hired by the club on July 4, 2021, in a three-year contract following the departure of their previous manager, Roy Hodgson, who served the club since 2017.

Following his recent poor performance in about 12 successive matches since the beginning of 2023, taking the Eagles teetering above the Premier League relegation zone, with a three-point gap separating them from 18th-placed Bournemouth.

In a statement from the club’s chairman, Steve Parish, on Friday which was obtained from their website by The PUNCH, it partly read, “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 a 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.”