Eddie Howe is set to leave Bournemouth by mutual consent, after suffering relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2019/20 season.
The 42-year-old is a legend at the Vitality stadium, making over 200 appearances as a player, before taking charge as coach and propelling the south-coast side from League One to the English top flight in 2015.
Bournemouth have enjoyed the past five seasons in the Premier League, and Howe has earned plenty of praise for his part in building an exciting and attacking team.
Howe was, however, unable to prevent the Cherries from falling to a final day relegation and his role as the club’s coach had been in doubt for some time.
And Peter Rutzler of The Athletic was among the first to reveal on Saturday night that Howe is set to leave the club by ‘mutual consent’, bringing an end to his eight-year reign at Bournemouth.
While this might come as sad news to some Cherries’ supporters, there may be more to the decision than meets the eye. A source has told 90min that Howe has already met with Crystal Palace officials, regarding the possibility of taking over at Selhurst Park in the future.
Current coach Roy Hodgson came under a lot of scrutiny for his approach over the course of this season, and the Eagles were one of the most out of form teams in the Premier League following the summer re-start.
Palace picked up only one point from their final eight matches, leaving the 72-year-old’s job hanging in the balance. Hodgson did sign a new contract with the club in March though, meaning the Premier League side may wait until his deal expires at the end of the 2020/21 season before making the change.
So, Bournemouth’s loss may prove to be the Eagles’ gain, and Howe could well be back in the Premier League, without his beloved Cherries.