Pardew heading to Selhurst Park.
News is breaking that Newcastle United have officially given manager Alan Pardew permission to speak to Crystal Palace about the vacant managerial position at Selhurst Park, indicating that it is just a matter of time before the former West Ham and Southampton manager is named as the successor to Neil Warnock in south London.
BREAKING: Newcastle give Alan Pardew permission to speak to Crystal Palace about vacant manager's position. #SSNHQ
— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) December 29, 2014
The two clubs were believed to have entered talks about a compensation fee for Pardew today and, with that now seemingly having reached a conclusion, Pardew is free to enter talks with Palace over the possibility of making the move to Selhurst Park.
The move will come as a surprise to most in football who will view moving from Newcastle to Palace as a backwards step, but Pardew is known to have an affinity with the club from his playing days and has also had a notoriously strained relationship with both the club’s supporters and owner Mike Ashley, having appeared on the verge of the sacke earlier this season.
He will be taking over a relegation battle at Crystal Palace, however, with the Eagles having fallen into the bottom three on goal difference after losing at home to Southampton on Boxing Day – a result that saw Warnock sacked, although a point against QPR under caretaker Keith Millen represents a positive result.