The Crystal Palace chairman, Steve Parish, is seriously considering sacking Patrick Vieira as manager after a disastrous run that has left the club three points clear of the relegation zone.
Palace are yet to record a victory in 2023 in 12 matches and Wednesday’s defeat at Brighton was the fourth successive match they have failed to score. It is understood Parish has been deeply unimpressed by performances in recent weeks and has begun sounding out potential replacements Vieira, with Burnley’s Vincent Kompany and Michael Carrick of Middlesbrough among those who could be targeted if he makes a change.
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Vieira, who succeeded Roy Hodgson in 2021 and guided Palace to 12th in the Premier League and the FA Cup semi-final in his first season, is believed to have been frustrated by the lack of investment in the summer and January transfer windows and would point his side having faced a run of fixtures against clubs in the top half.
Vieira is due to visit his former club Arsenal on Sunday in the final match before the international break and it remains to be seen whether he will be in place for the home fixture against Leicester on 1 April that begins a sequence of games against fellow relegation contenders.
Vieira was asked after Palace’s first defeat against Brighton since 2019 whether he retained the faith of the Palace hierarchy and responded: “You will have to ask those questions to them. I can’t answer for them.”