Crystal Palace have confirmed the departure of Patrick Vieira as first-team manager.
90min revealed earlier this week that Vieira’s position was under serious threat after a miserable run of form for the Eagles, who are still waiting for their first win of 2023 and recently completed their third straight game without registering a single shot on target.
Palace find themselves 12th in the Premier League but the relegation battle is so fierce that they are just three points clear of the drop zone and only five ahead of bottom side Southampton, so the decision has now been made to dismiss Vieira.
Chairman Steve Parish said: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.
“That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues. He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival.
“Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service.”
Alongside Vieira, coaches Osian Roberts, Kristian Wilson and Saïd Aïgoun have also left the club.
Next up for Palace is a trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, before crucial games against Leicester City, Leeds, Southampton, Everton, Wolves and West Ham – all of whom are currently below the Eagles in the table.