Patrick Vieira leaves Crystal Palace as fans astonished by Arsenal legend’s exit
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Patrick Vieira has left his post as Crystal Palace manager.
The Premier League club announced on Friday that the Frenchman, along with members of his coaching staff, had stepped down.
Palace had slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone, having failed to pick up a single win in 2023. And Vieira's shock exit comes days before their Premier League clash with his former side Arsenal.
Chairman Steve Parish said in a club statement: “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."
Palace are currently 12th in the league table but only three points from safety, having lost three games on the trot. Their latest defeat came against rivals Brighton, with Solly March's strike resulting in an 11th game without victory.
Vieira's tenure comes to an abrupt halt less than two years after he first took charge at the beginning of the 2021/22 season.
Parish added: "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. We also wish Patrick, Osian, Kristian and Saïd the very best for their futures.”
Along with Parish's concerns about Palace's form, it is understood the former Arsenal captain was left upset by the lack of investment over the summer.
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- Crystal Palace FC
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