Frank de Boer offered Crystal Palace job and relishing prospect of returning to management in the Premier League
The Dutchman has been out of work since November, when he left Inter after just 14 games in charge
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Your support makes all the difference.Crystal Palace's seemingly interminable search for a new manager appears to be drawing to a close, with Dutchman Frank de Boer understood to have been offered the post.
De Boer held talks with Palace in early June and impressed the south London club with his vision for bringing through talented young players and his attention to detail.
The Dutchman is keen to rehabilitate his reputation after a short, ill-fated spell at Inter which ended in November after taking charge of just 14 games.
Palace spoke to a number of candidates throughout their process, keen to find the right man to replace Sam Allardyce after he surprisingly walked away from the club in May. Chairman Steve Parish was determined to find a manager who would stay with the club for a number of years, after seeing a high turnover in the dugout since helping save the club from administration in 2010.
De Boer spoke to Palace in the first week of June, before the Eagles completed their due process by talking to other prospective candidates.
Mauricio Pellegrino is known to have impressed Palace chiefs and Parish publicly defended Pellegrino against claims it would be unwise to hire someone who didn't speak fluent English. His camp claim he was Palace's No. 1 choice, but the Argentinean is now more likely to take over at Southampton, where Claude Puel was sacked last week. Christophe Galtier and Sean Dyche were among the other coaches considered by the Eagles as they cast the net far and wide, also using analytics to crunch the numbers on potential hires.
Sources close to De Boer told The Independent last week that he was very keen on the role at Selhurst Park, citing the club's passionate fanbase and talented squad. While the 47-year-old coach has been out of work since leaving Inter, his CV boasts four Eredivisie titles from his six years at Ajax. The Amsterdam giants have not won the Dutch title since De Boer departed the club, and while league titles may not be on the horizon at Palace, De Boer is known to be relishing the opportunity to manage in the Premier League.
Palace begin their pre-season in July by heading to Hong Kong for the Premier League Asia trophy. While the club aren't expected to splash out enormous sums this summer after spending heavily in January to ensure their survival, there will be funds available to De Boer should he, as expected, finalise terms.
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