Tony Pulis quits as Crystal Palace manager just before EPL season begins
So much for the sack race in the English Premier League, as the league couldn’t even make it to the first day of the season. That’s because reports out of England say that Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis has left the club on the eve of its 2014-15 EPL debut.
More from Premier League
- USMNT news: Balogun to stay, Musah to Milan, Ream wants promotion
- USMNT news: Dest to Fulham, Aaronson joins Union, Gold Cup roundup
- USMNT news: McKennie to Villa, Leeds departures, Sargent goal
- USMNT news: Pulisic to Milan, Musah to Fulham, Pepi to PSV
- USMNT rumors: Balogun to Chelsea, Robinson new contract, Pulisic to Milan
English paper The Daily Mail is reporting that Pulis has left the club by mutual consent after he was not happy over the lack of offseason signings to take this club to another level.
The paper is reporting that former Celtic boss Neil Lennon and former Watford and Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay are tipped to become Pulis’ replacement.
At issue were the specific lack of signings for players like Gilfy Sigurdsson from Tottenham Hotspur and Steven Caulker, who went from Cardiff City to Queens Park Rangers in the offseason.
Pulis took over at the club after they started last EPL season with just four points, getting the most out of the side and pacing them to an 11th place finish by season’s end.
According to the Daily Mail, the biggest issue was a difference in the type of player the club and the manager wanted to see come to the club. Palace has a history with dodgy finances and the board has been cautious about opening up the transfer funds this offseason.
Palace have twice gone into administration under different owners because of a catastrophic transfer policy under former chairman Mark Goldberg and, more recently, under Simon Jordan.
That cautionary leadership led to a split with Pulis, who ended up being pulled away from regular training on Thursday morning, only to meet with the board and ultimately resign his position as manager.
It’s not an ideal situation for a club that needs good leadership at the head coach position in order to solidify the London-based club’s position in the EPL.