Sam Allardyce could be appointed Crystal Palace manager within the next 48 hours after the club's sacking of previous boss Alan Pardew earlier on Thursday, sources have told ESPN FC.
Allardyce, who was forced to resign as England manager after 67 days on the job in September following revelations in the wake of an undercover newspaper sting, is the favoured candidate of Palace chairman Steve Parish and the club's American co-owners, Joshua Harris and David Blitzer, to succeed Pardew, and could be installed before the Watford game on Boxing Day.
Sources close to the negotiations have told ESPN FC that the 62-year-old is ready to return to management, with Palace being a position that he would be ready to consider.
Having lost eight of their last 10 Premier League games, Palace go into back-to-back away games against Watford and Arsenal over Christmas sitting just one point above the bottom three, with a home encounter with fellow strugglers Swansea City looming on Jan. 3.
And despite handing Pardew a new long-term contract at the end of last season following the club's run to the FA Cup Final, where they were beaten by Manchester United after initially taking the lead at Wembley, the Palace board have decided to act now in an effort to ensure the best possible prospects of avoiding relegation under a new manager.
With Allardyce admitting recently that he is keen to return to the game after brief spell in charge of the national team, Palace's owners are aware of his impressive track record in terms of keeping teams in the Premier League.
Having managed five clubs in the top flight -- Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham and Sunderland -- Allardyce has never been relegated, with the former defender keeping Blackburn and Sunderland in the division against the odds after taking charge of both clubs in mid-season at a time when they were languishing in the bottom three.
Palace's position is not yet as precarious as those Allardyce inherited at Ewood Park or the Stadium of Light, but with key games on the horizon, the former England manager could yet be offered the chance to take charge before end of the Festive period.