This year’s relegation battle seems to be one of the most exciting ones the Premier League has ever witnessed. Crystal Palace, who are currently occupying the 12th spot in the league, are just four points ahead of the 20th placed Southampton. A total of nine teams are right in the thick of this survival battle, which has gotten everyone talking about it. 

Crystal Palace have recently sacked their manager Patrick Vieira after a set of abysmal results and have appointed Roy Hodgson as the interim boss, who once again beats his own record of becoming the oldest manager in the Premier League. However, Palace are also actively in search for their next manager come the next season. 

In that pursuit, they have narrowed down one major option and are seriously considering it. Steve Cooper, who is currently in charge of Palace’s relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, is on the radar for the London based club and are keen on bringing him over to oversee their new project. 

However, for that to happen, Cooper will firstly have to deny staying at Forest, which won’t be very easy. The club have backed the manager with over 20 signings since they were promoted to the Premier League this season and when the chips were down, they displayed their faith in the man with another contract extension. 

Cooper has earned plaudits for the job he has done with Forest over the last two seasons. He joined the club with them bottom of the Championship table, turning their season around and leading them to the Premier League via the play-offs.

While the Reds may still be fighting against Premier League survival this season, Cooper continues to be praised for how he’s handled the number of changes in the squad over the summer and some of the performances of his team.

Things are not looking as bright for the side since the FIFA World Cup ended and right before the sacking of Vieira, they went three games without a shot on target. The weekend saw them fall to a 4-1 defeat against Arsenal under the stewardship of caretaker manager Paddy McCarthy. The former defender has now been tasked with assisting Hodgson until the end of the season. Stay updated on Football news and betting with Nextbet.