Crystal Palace believe they have four key elements that give them confidence in the race for Andoni Iraola despite Chelsea’s threat.
Andoni Iraola is a big-name managerial target for multiple clubs, including Crystal Palace, this summer. The Spaniard has attracted plenty of interest from the likes of Chelsea, but TEAMtalk reports that the Eagles are confident due to four key factors that could play in their favour.
Crystal Palace are ready to battle some of the big teams in the Premier League in the chase for Andoni Iraola. The Bournemouth boss is set to leave the South Coast club, with Palace increasingly linked with the Spaniard to replace Oliver Glasner.
The South Londoners are eager to lure the Spaniard to Selhurst Park. Iraola was earlier linked with a switch to La Liga, but it now appears he could stay in the Premier League. He would be a perfect Oliver Glasner replacement, and Palace believe they have key advantages over teams like Chelsea in their pursuit of Iraola.
Do Crystal Palace Have Advantage Over Chelsea in Andoni Iraola Chase?
The report states that Palace are ready to make plenty of big promises to Iraola in a bid to beat competition from Chelsea. They believe the idea of offering the Spaniard a promising structure, a clear recruitment strategy, an emerging young squad, and the chance to build a long-term project are key aspects that give them an advantage in the race for the 43-year-old.
Whether that would be enough to bring Iraola to Selhurst Park remains to be seen, but in the modern-day age, those are significant commitments from a club towards luring a promising manager. Iraola is biding his time before making a decision, as things could go in any direction, given he is high on the list of both Chelsea and Manchester United.
What next for Andoni Iraola?
Chelsea are courting Xabi Alonso in a big way, and some suggestions point towards the former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid boss being the front-runner for the Stamford Bridge role. That does leave Iraola with limited options, unless other big clubs enter the picture, as Manchester United are also keeping close tabs on the Spaniard.
As for the Crystal Palace role, earlier reports had stated that Iraola wanted to see whether there would be European football at the club next season. As of now, they are in the Conference League final, and winning it would guarantee Europa League football next season. Hence, there is a strong chance he replaces Glasner in the summer, though that could also prove to be a tricky decision for his career, especially given the calibre of the other suitors in the race.