Palace wait on Iraola with Lampard a plan B

Palace wait on Iraola with Lampard a plan BImage source, Getty ImagesBySami MokbelSenior football correspondentPublished3 minutes agoCommentsFor Crystal Palace, all eyes are now Andoni Iraola. Will he, won't he?The glory of Wednesday night's euphoric Conference League win in Leipzig won't fade for some time for supporters.But for those at the heart of the club, the planning for next season will accelerate with almost immediate effect.The first task at hand is to appoint a new head coach.As BBC Sport revealed earlier this month, Iraola is the man Palace want to replace the outgoing Oliver Glasner, who insisted after the triumph in Germany that he has no plans to reverse his decision.They have made the Spaniard a proposal and are awaiting his answer, within that are assurances that he will be permitted significant influence over the recruitment operation.It is understood Palace want an answer by the end of the weekend.The move is ambitious. Iraola has emerged as one of the brightest managers in European football; Bournemouth's qualification for next season's Europa League illustrative of his impressive body of work."We have got a taste for it now, we want to keep it going," said owner Steve Parish following the win over Rayo Vallecano."We have gone up a level and we have got to try and stay there. We will have a week to celebrate and then work hard in the summer."Palace believe they have done all they can to convince Iraola that they can provide the platform for him to continue building his reputation.All that is left is Iraola's approval.If the 43-year-old declines then Palace will move on to plan B.Among the alternatives is understood to be Frank Lampard, who has key admirers in the Palace boardroom.Releasing Lampard from his contract with Coventry provides an obvious stumbling block should Palace pivot to the former Chelsea midfielder.But there is some optimism at Palace that Lampard, who is aware of the Premier Lea...