Whoever takes on Neil Lennon will be a winner

Neil Lennon could prove to be the perfect fit for Crystal Palace as they search for a new manager.

There will be no shortage of candidates interesting in taking up the vacant post at the English Premier League club.

Some of the names already in the frame, such as David Moyes, Malky Mackay and Tim Sherwood, would perform well.

And, of course, they all have experience of managing in the division although the latter two have only done so for a limited period.

But maybe Palace will benefit from going down a different route and thinking out of the box.

They’ll obviously have the option of going for a tried-and-tested English Premier League manager, who has been over the course many times before.

Another option might be to go down the foreign route, something a lot of the clubs have gone for in recent years.

However, the more I think about Lennon, the more I see him ticking all the boxes for the Palace Board.

Whoever replaces Tony Pulis is taking the job in the knowledge there isn’t a great deal of money to spend on new players. That is clearly the reason why the previous boss has walked away.

Also, it will have to be someone who can organise a team to perform well against opposition who have much better players.

And, on top of that, it has to be someone who is tactically astute and can get as much out of his players as humanly possible.

For me, Neil has already shown he can achieve all those goals and then some. So I wouldn’t view his appointment as any more of a risk than anyone else.

How many players did he sign for Celtic which earned the club fortunes further down the line by selling them at huge profits?

Fraser Forster is the most recent one to move down to England. But so did Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper, Joe Ledley and Ki.

They won’t be the last of the players Neil signed to be sold on by Celtic for profit, either, if the Hoops continue with their buy-them-cheap-and-sell-them high policy.

So if Lennon can spot a player who will cost £2m, and coach them into someone who can become a £10m player, then that must appeal massively to a club like Palace.

And how many managers have a 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League on their CV? How many have managed to lead a Scottish club into the last 16 of the competition? You don’t achieve either by fluke.

To operate as well at that level takes fantastic planning, attention to detail and the skill of preparing your players on the training ground during the week to do exactly what you ask of them.

That is what it would be like almost of a weekly basis at Palace, facing the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United. Every game would be like a Champions League showdown.

I think the club that gives Neil an opportunity will be on to a winner. The next few days will tell if Palace are brave enough to make that leap.