Crystal Palace wait on Andoni Iraola with Frank Lampard among plan Bs

As BBC Sport revealed earlier this month, Iraola is the man Palace want to replace Oliver Glasner, who insisted he had no plans to reverse his decision after the victory in Germany.

They have made an offer to the Spaniard and are awaiting his response, including assurances that he will have a significant impact on the recruitment operation.

It is understood that the Palace wants an answer by the end of the week.

The movement is ambitious. Iraola has emerged as one of the brightest managers in European football; Bournemouth’s qualification for next season’s Europa League is a testament to his impressive work.

After the win against Rayo Vallecano, team owner Steve Parish said: “We’ve had a pleasure now, we want to continue it.”

“We’ve moved up a level and we’ve got to try to stay there. We’ll have a week to celebrate and then we’ll work hard in the summer.”

Palace believe they have done all they can to convince Iraola that they can provide him with the necessary platform to continue building his reputation.

All that’s left is Iraola’s approval.

If the 43-year-old player rejects the offer, Palace will switch to plan B.

Alternatives are understood to include Frank Lampard, who has significant fans in the Palace boardroom.

Lampard’s release from his contract with Coventry poses an obvious obstacle should Palace turn to the former Chelsea midfielder.

However, there is some optimism at Palace that Lampard, aware of the Premier League club’s interest in him, would be open to joining the team ahead of next season.

Kieran McKenna, Pierre Sage, Sean Dyche and Thomas Frank have also been mooted as options.

Luring Iraola to Selhurst Park would represent a coup for Palace, but the fact that it has taken so long to make the decision has led to a degree of skepticism within Selhurst Park as to whether the now-departed Bournemouth head coach is prepared to accept it.

Much will become clear in the coming days.