Eddie Howe or Steven Gerrard in, selling Wilfried Zaha, and releasing stars - Crystal Palace face huge summer gamble with Roy Hodgson and 11 players out of contract

Crystal Palace are all but safe in the Premier League this season but looming on the horizon could be a huge summer of change.

Not only is manager Roy Hodgson out of contract on July 1 but so are 11 first team players, including Andros Townsend, Gary Cahill, and Patrick van Aanholt.

Townsend himself insists he and the other stars with expiring deals are focussed on ensuring the Eagles finish as high in the table as possible.

"I'm one of those players out of contract and at the end of the season so I have no idea what's going on myself," he admitted on talkSPORT. "We're contracted until July 1 so until July 1 we have to give everything for the cause."

And manager Hodgson is keeping his cards close to his chest too.

"These are things that I keep to myself until such time as I feel it's the right moment to make any announcement," he's said.

Most read in Football

updates

Lampard tipped for England U21s, Pogba slams Mourinho, Liverpool stars 'had enough'

proud

Rangers boss Gerrard 'loved everything' about Arsenal's thumping of Slavia Prague

search

Lampard and Cole backed to succeed Boothroyd as next England U21s boss odds revealed

feud

Pogba gives damning verdict on Mourinho, accuses him of going against players

Shame

Players urged to use their own social media accounts after Foden/Mbappe gaffe

defiant

Lacazette sends powerful message to Slavia Prague before scoring twice in UEL

But no matter what happens on the pitch between now and the end of May, uncertainty is gripping the south London side.

Who will be boss next season? Will Hodgson take a new role? Which players will be retained? And the annual question, will Wilfried Zaha remain?

One way or another, change has to come. It's inevitable as much as we try and avoid it. We might think it unnecessary, a gamble when the status quo still works. But nothing lasts forever.

Recently Palace seem to have played out the same season over and over again. Their points tally has been in the 40s in every campaign since they last returned to the top flight in 2013. Minor relegation frets, but ultimately safety achieved each time.

It needs to change as right now supporters are seeing the same problems on the pitch.

"Crystal Palace fans have been talking about a lot of negative things this season and they came together in that first-half [against Chelsea ]," comedian and fan Kevin Day told Hawksbee and Jacobs.

"You can get away with one or two but we pick the same team, same formation, and same tactics no matter who we're playing.

"We're always outnumbered in midfield. We've got no creativity in midfield. There is no defensive cover for an aging back four.

"The manager is just reluctant to recognise that things are going wrong and change them. You can get away with one or two of those but they all went wrong on Saturday."

Crystal Palace's out of contract stars

Gary Cahill

James McCarthy

Wayne Hennessey

Mamadou Sakho

Christian Benteke

Patrick van Aanholt

Andros Townsend

Scott Dann

Nathaniel Clyne

Joel Ward

Connor Wickham

It's something Robert Sutherland, editor of Five Year Plan fanzine, agrees with. And he believes a change in manager may just be the right move at this juncture.

"We appreciate what Roy Hodgson has done, without question. I think a lot of Palace fans feel like now is the right time to move on. It's missing a little bit of that bite that we're known for."

Frank de Boer's ill-fated five-game spell serves as a warning though. The grass isn't always greener and prior to Hodgson's arrival in 2017, the Eagles changed managers almost yearly in the Premier League.

One of those men, Ian Holloway, reckons Hodgson should get another season and help put in place a plan for his succession.

He told talkSPORT: "You know, I would try and make sure the continuation of what the club is doing is absolutely nailed down. I would involve Roy in that, give him one more year and then ask him 'what can we do? How are we going to do it?' And then see how we go."

Former Crystal Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose, he of the rocket against Manchester United, is another who feels a managerial decision needs to be carefully considered given the current state of the club.

Some exciting names have been mentioned, including Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, but all alternatives to Hodgson represent a gamble given the task of signing so many new players and organising them over one summer.

"Eddie Howe is the name that spring to mind of course," Ambrose said. "He's been linked to the big Celtic job. I don't know if he's going to take that or not but if not he would absolutely be perfect for the club.

"There is an opportunity perhaps that you could offer it to a young, fresh manager. A Frank Lampard. A John Terry, for instance. But that's a big risk.

"I've said recently I like Sean Dyche. Like I said, whoever does come in perhaps needs to rebuild the football club. They need to decide what to do with Wilfried Zaha."

And there it is. The inescapable. What next for Zaha?

The Ivorian is still playing his football in South Norwood despite years of transfer speculation.

This summer it appears it will be Arsenal linked with him again and former teammate Jason Puncheon wouldn't begrudge him a move.

Speaking to talkSPORT he said: "On a personal note as a Palace boy and a Palace fan you don't want Wilfried to leave but on a personal note as a friend he needs to leave to put himself at that better level to prove he's ready at that pedestal.

"I believe he's been ready for the last two and a half years."

Any money coming in would, undoubtedly be put back into the playing staff but even if that windfall comes, you sense the fear of failure is crippling the club and even its most realistic fans.

Day added on Hawksbee and Jacobs: "If Steve Parish listens to all those Crystal Palace fans saying 'right, we need a younger manager, we need a better style of play, we need a younger squad' that's fine but there is a risk there that we go down. That's too big a risk to take right at the moment.

"We get a younger manager, we get a younger squad, we play some better football and the only reward is finishing 12th instead of 14th, we score a couple more goals and Gary Neville says we're better to watch. That's too big a risk to take.

"It's pleasure before Premier League but the fact is we've got to stay in the Premier League."

In the English top flight, stick or twist is the biggest gamble there is and Palace need a safe bet or risk a relegation battle next season.