New Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer said he wants to make the team a “solid Premier League club” after he signed a three-year contract with the south London side on Monday.
The former Ajax Amsterdam coach, who has been out of work since he was sacked by Serie A club Inter in November, said he had been assessing the Palace squad before they report back for pre-season training next month.
“I had a good feeling about the club, also the perspective, you know, to manage a team in the Premier League, I was very excited because I think there are no, almost no weak teams in the Premier League,” he said.
“So, I’m very excited to be manager for this club so when he asked me directly, of course, I did my homework and try to get more information about the club, not only about the players but also what the history of the club is so I’m very happy to be here.”
The south London club have been without a manager since Allardyce opted to leave at the end of last season after securing their top-flight survival.
Commenting on whether he sees Palace as a stepping stone to a bigger managerial job, de Boer said, “I don’t want to think about them, focusing on this job right now and what happens in the future that’s not important.
“The only thing that I’m concerned is again to make Crystal Palace a very solid Premier League club and that’s my only concern and what time will bring we will see but for me, I want to stay, you know. I signed for threes so normally I want to stay for three years; that means it’s going well.”
De Boer, 47, played for Ajax and Barcelona during a distinguished career which also saw him make 112 appearances for the Dutch national team.
He also had a six-month stint at Rangers in 2004 during the final phase of his playing career before joining Netherlands national side as assistant manager from 2008 to 2010.
De Boer, who became Palace’s fifth permanent manager in four years, is the first foreign boss at the club since Italian Attilio Lombardo’s brief spell as a caretaker in 1998.
Palace recorded 41 points and finished 14th in the League last season with 12 victories in 38 games.
Reuters
