Roy Hodgson insisted he is comfortable with the time left on his Crystal Palace contract and reiterated his stance on Wilfried Zaha’s future ahead of Sunday’s final-day clash with Tottenham.
There will be only seven weeks between the end of the current Premier League season and the start of the new campaign, with top-flight football set to return on September 12.
“That was a decision that I was more than happy to take myself because the fact is I am not as young as I was,” Hodgson said.
“A year I thought was the right thing to do, taking one year at a time, and I didn’t make any suggestions that the contract should be more than one year.
“The club wanted me to stay on and sign for that further season which I was happy to do so.”
Going into the final day, Zaha’s goal tally of four is his lowest since the 2015-16 campaign.
He was heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park last summer, but eventually had to stay put after Palace turned down Everton’s advances.
On Zaha, Hodgson added: “Wilf has made it clear ever since I came to the club really that he would relish a move and would like to move on and find some pastures new, but he is a very valuable player.
“The club realises his value and appreciates his value so really it will depend like it always does on what offers the club are going to receive for him and how they will equate that to the need to keep him or the need to satisfy his wishes and allow him to go.”
That bad run ended any faint hopes Hodgson’s side had of finishing in the top half and could ensure this campaign is viewed in a negative light.
“In a season unfortunately you have spells and this is a particularly bad one, but there will always be spells,” Hodgson added.
“I think expectations, even with a full squad and all our top players fit, to get a Europa League place was always asking a bit too much of us, but of course we didn’t want to sink as far as we have sunk by losing so many games.
“There has been so many reasons for it and what it has highlighted is what this squad needs.
“I am hoping that will provoke the necessary action so that next season the squad has a better chance to compete all the way through.”
