Crystal Palace manager Leif Smerud departs club after WSL relegation | OneFootball

Leif Smerud has left his role as the Crystal Palace women’s team manager after only two months in charge, after their relegation from the Women’s Super League.

The 48-year-old Norwegian, who said it was his choice to end his time at the club, arrived on 1 March and oversaw just nine games in all competitions, winning one, drawing one and losing seven, concluding with Saturday’s 5-2 loss away at Manchester City on the final day of the WSL season.

Crystal Palace finished 10 points adrift of safety in the WSL’s sole relegation spot after just one season in the top tier, following their promotion last term under the leadership of Laura Kaminski, who was sacked at the end of February.

Posting on X Smerud said: “After careful reflection, I chose to step away — to give the club space to rebuild, and to take on the next challenge myself. It’s been a privilege to lead this team. I leave proud of this chapter — and open to what’s next.”

A statement from the club, issued on Sunday morning, said: “Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 Women’s Super League season, Crystal Palace can confirm that manager Leif Smerud will depart the club. Crystal Palace will provide an update on Leif’s replacement in due course.

Parish, the club’s chair, said: “Leif joined us during a challenging period, and we are grateful for his contribution and the professionalism he has shown during his time at the club. We wish him every success in the future.”

When Smerud was hired, the length of this contract was never disclosed, but speaking in his post-match press conference after Saturday’s loss at City, he appeared to be preparing for the summer ahead, saying: “There is an opportunity, when you are relegated, to learn from it and I think that will be important to evaluate what happened and learn from it, and I’m sure we will. The summer will be an important one.

“It was a really difficult situation when I came in. I knew what I was going into but we had a lot of injuries coming almost at the moment I signed, and we had to sort of stop the bleeding before we could start building, but the performance today [Saturday] and Leicester and Villa and some of the others, we have been good but not good enough to stay in the league. But I see improvements. We play a different football now than we were able to when I came.”

Header image: [Photograph: SPP Sport Press Photo./Alamy]