Crystal Palace have sounded out Frank Lampard about becoming their next manager, with the Coventry boss's future in the Midlands by no means guaranteed despite their promotion.
Lampard's Championship Triumph
The 47-year-old has just led Coventry to the Championship title, ending their 25-year absence from the Premier League. However, those exploits have caught the attention of the Eagles, who need to replace the outgoing Oliver Glasner.
The Sun understands that Palace have made a move for Lampard, who has top flight experience with Chelsea and Everton, about taking over at Selhurst Park. Fulham themselves are also keen but need to see whether Marco Silva extends his contract.
Lampard's Options
Lampard, who has also seen his name bandied about regarding a third stint at Chelsea, is thought to be considering his options despite only just ending his promotion celebrations. Coventry may have claimed the title, but there will naturally be doubts over whether they can remain a Premier League team long-term. Sky Blues owner Doug King is unlikely to have the resources to pour into the team and King himself has openly admitted that he may struggle to hang onto his manager this summer.
Lampard does have 12 months of his current contract to run and will be offered an improved deal, but it is unlikely that King would stand in his way if he wanted to move elsewhere.
Palace's Ambitions
Palace believe that under Lampard they can continue the success Glasner has brought to south London. The Eagles have been in the Premier League since 2013 and won last year's FA Cup. Glasner could yet go out on a high with the club into the final of the Europa Conference League, where they will play Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig later this month.
Palace were publicly criticised by Glasner for letting their top players leave after Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi departed within six months of each other. But equally the club did spend in January, shelling out £78 million to land Brennan Johnson and Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Premier League Survival Trends
This season the trend of promoted sides going straight back down has been ended by Leeds and Sunderland. Prior to that, for two straight years, the three promoted teams all suffered immediate relegation back to the second tier.
