LONDON - Roy Hodgson will be handed a mega-money bonus if he can keep Crystal Palace in the Premier League as he prepares to make a sensational return to football management.
The former England boss was on Monday night ironing out the finer details of a two-year contract worth £2.5million a season after Palace sacked Frank de Boer, who was in charge for just four games.
And 70-year-old Hodgson, who grew up near Selhurst Park, will net a minimum £1million bonus if he guides his local club to safety.
Sportsmail revealed on August 29 that De Boer was on the verge of losing his job and reported opn Monday that Hodgson was the leading contender to replace the Dutchman.
De Boer, whose team failed to score a Premier League goal, was dismissed in a meeting with chairman Steve Parish.
The former Holland defender signed a three-year deal worth £2m in the summer and he will leave with a sizeable compensation package.
The decision to fire De Boer was made after Palace’s 1-0 defeat by Burnley on Sunday. Majority shareholders David Blitzer and Josh Harris were at the match and sanctioned De Boer’s dismissal after consulting Parish and sporting director Dougie Freedman.
De Boer was in charge for just 77 days and his four-game reign makes him the shortest-lived manager in Premier League history.
Palace have been sizing up replacements for De Boer over the past fortnight. They tried to lure back Sam Allardyce, who left Selhurst Park after leading Palace to Premier League survival last season, but the 62-year-old rejected them.
Now, barring an 11th-hour hitch, Hodgson will be given the task of keeping Palace in the top flight.
Hodgson, who has Premier League experience with Fulham and West Bromwich, will bring in Ray Lewington as his assistant.
The much-travelled boss started out as a player at Palace. He has been out of work since losing the England job following a disastrous Euro 2016, when the national side lost to Iceland in the last 16.