‘Hodgson is our best signing’
CRYSTAL PALACE chairman Steve Parish says that manager Roy Hodgson penning a new contract at the club is the “signing of the summer”.
Hodgson has agreed to a new one-year deal, which means he will still be at Selhurst Park in 2020 when he will reach his 73rd birthday.
The former Inter Milan, Fulham, Liverpool, West Brom and England manager last season steered Palace away from relegation after taking over in September with the side having lost their first four games without scoring a goal.
On Saturday Hodgson helped Palace get the new campaign off to a much better start with a 2-0 win at promoted Fulham, and Parish believes handing the veteran a new deal was the best bit of business Palace did in pre-season. “It is a great signature for us, arguably the signing of the summer,” said Parish.
“Roy is an incredible asset to have at your club. It is wonderful to work with him.
“He is a really nice chap, very knowledgeable about football, has huge experience, is very grounded, very sensible and he has that attachment to the club, having stood on the terraces watching Palace when he was young.
“Roy is probably Britain’s most travelled coach, and our most knowledgeable about foreign tactics. I see him as a hybrid, rather than saying we have just gone for another British coach.
“You can see that in the football we play. We are now getting to a style of football that could give us a sustainable future in the Premier League.”