Sam Allardyce is expected to hold talks with Crystal Palace in the next 24 hours over succeeding Alan Pardew. Pardew was sacked by the south London club on Thursday after a run of eight defeats in their last ten Premier League games. With Palace sitting 17th in the table ahead of a busy festive programme, chairman Steve Parish will move quickly to replace Pardew. Allardyce is understood to be the favoured choice of the club's co-owners David Blitzer and Josh Harris and his representatives have already been approached for talks.

The 62-year-old is regarded as a Premier League survival expert having led the likes of Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle, West Ham and most recently Sunderland to safety. Allardyce is believed to be eager to return to management after his ill-fated reign as England boss. He left Sunderland in September to take on his dream job but lasted just 67 days in the role following an undercover sting by the Daily Telegraph in which he was filmed discussing FA rules on third-party ownership of players.