The Swiss coach Lucien Favre has turned down the chance to take over as manager at Crystal Palace, preferring instead to take an extended career break before he embarks on his next job.
The 63-year-old last worked at Borussia Dortmund where he left in December after a run of bad results and had originally planned to take a long break from the game. He met with Palace over the vacancy at Selhurst Park but decided that the time was not yet right for him to return to management.
He had been an attractive option for Palace because of a track record improving mid-table clubs, taking Borussia Monchengladbach from the bottom of the Bundesliga to fourth and two second-place finishes with Dortmund.
Having only appointed two non-British or Irish managers in their history, it would have been a major leap for Palace and they only wanted to forge ahead if Favre was entirely committed to the club.
It means that, like Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, the club approach pre-season without a manager in position. Palace did enter negotiations with Nuno Espirito Santo, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager, but those foundered on backroom staff salaries. There has also been interest in Frank Lampard and Steve Cooper, the Swansea City manager.
The club are in a period of rebuilding with a number of last season’s squad out of contract. The plan is to renew four existing deals for players falling out of contract, including that of Belgium striker Christian Benteke who has already re-signed. There has been no announcement yet over the likes of Gary Cahill, Andros Townsend and Joel Ward – all out of contract. They plan to buy a further four new players and take two on loan.
The club are on an eight-year run in the Premier League – the longest in their history. The departure of Roy Hodgson has coincided with a dearth of suitable candidates to succeed him.