Crystal Palace are competing with Fulham for the next “Iraola” who is set to leave his club
Crystal Palace and Fulham have both identified manager Andoni Iraola as a target to replace Oliver Glasner or Marco Silva, according to reports.
Palace and Fulham are eyeing replacements for Glasner and Silva
The two London clubs head into the summer with significant questions to answer in the dugout, and both point to one man as a possible solution.
Palace have known since January that Glasner will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The Austrian leaves behind a huge legacy – an FA Cup triumph, Community Shield success earlier this campaign, and a historic Conference League run.
Palace sit 15th in the Premier League after a campaign marred by a nine-game mid-season winless run and FA Cup exit to non-league Macclesfield, but the European tour provided a compelling narrative to end the year.
Crystal Palace are in contact with the club's famous manager and an exit has been confirmed
South Londoners cast their net far and wide.
Chairman Steve Parish has stepped up the search for Glasner's replacement, with Frank Lampard, Iraola, Kieran McKenna and Marcelino among the names being tested in recent weeks.
Fulham's situation is worse.
Silva's contract expires this summer and, unless the club present a bid to extend his stay, the Portuguese is yet to sign.
Fulham remain hopeful of a commitment, with owner Shahid Khan making it clear that Silva is central to his long-term plans, and Silva himself has dismissed Chelsea links with a direct sacking.
But until ink hits paper, uncertainty remains.
Crystal Palace rivals Fulham and Rayo Vallecano coach Inigo Perez
Therefore, SportsBoom are now reporting that both Palace and Fulham have identified Rayo Vallecano head coach Inigo Perez as a target, with sources indicating that the 38-year-old is expected to leave the Spanish club at the end of the season.
Spanish outlets have reported that Villarreal are front-runners for his domestic signing, but Perez is widely regarded as the Premier League's most attractive prospect, and the comparisons being made about him in Spanish football circles only add to the intrigue.
He has been described as “the next Andoni Iraola”.
That's not a normal label, either.
The two men have a deep professional and personal relationship. Perez was Iraola's assistant at Rayo before he left for Bournemouth in 2023.
Work permit issues prevented Perez from following his friend to the Premier League at the time, a result he is determined not to repeat. He took over at Rayo in February 2024 and has guided them to an eighth-place finish in LaLiga last season and their first European campaign since 2001.
A former Athletic Bilbao striker who retired in 2022 and went straight into coaching, Perez is regarded in Spain as a meticulous and intelligent worker.
His philosophy – high power, based on pressure, built within a cohesive organization – mirrors what Iraola brought to Bournemouth and what Glasner built at Palace.
For a team determined to maintain the identity and intensity of the past two seasons, the fit makes obvious sense.
The enthusiasm of Fulham adds to the intensity of the competition, and whoever goes faster can win the race.
Crystal Palace have revealed that they will be looking for a title-winning manager who was wanted by Marinakis at Nottingham Forest
He could be a solid option for the Eagles.
