Former NYCFC boss Patrick Vieira named Crystal Palace manager

Former New York City FC coach Patrick Vieira has been named the new manager at Crystal Palace in the English Premier League, it was announced Sunday.

Vieira, who spent two-and-a-half years in charge of NYCFC, replaces Roy Hodgson, who stepped down at the end of last season.

“I am really excited to have this opportunity to return to the Premier League, and manage this great football club, as we begin a new chapter together,” Vieira said in a club statement. “It is 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. 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.”

Palace were reportedly close to appointing ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre until talks broke down.

Vieira replaced Favre at Nice in 2018 and was let go by the Ligue 1 club in Dec. 2020 following a string of five straight defeats. He signed a three-year deal with Crystal Palace.

“I’m delighted and excited that Patrick has agreed to join Crystal Palace as our manager following successfully learning his trade at the City Group, and experiencing positive managerial spells at New York City and then Nice, who he led to the Europa League,” Palace chairman Steve Parish said. "We have a lot to do to prepare in the coming weeks and I look forward to working closely with Patrick and Dougie in bringing in some new faces to help us all to a successful season.”

Vieira had a 39-22-22 overall record in league play with NYCFC, guiding the squad to a pair of second-place finishes and playoff berths before leaving for France midway through the 2018 season.

Palace are led by the likes of Wiflried Zaha, Eberechi Eze, Christian Benteke and more. They finished 14th in the Premier League last year, comfortably avoiding relegation by 16 points.