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Crystal Palace are in talks with Pierre Sage with a view to making him their head coach after he led Lens to second in Ligue 1 this season. Andoni Iraola was the preferred option to replace Oliver Glasner but the former Bournemouth manager is in discussions with Liverpool over succeeding Arne Slot.
Sage inherited a Lens side last June who had finished eighth and made them title contenders, finishing six points adrift of Paris Saint-Germain, and won the Coupe de France. He was in charge of Lyon for just over a year before being sacked in January 2025. Sage is understood to be keen to join Palace so the expectation is that a deal will be struck.
Palace also had Frank Lampard in their thoughts but were put off by the compensation fee – thought to be £5m – they would have needed to pay Coventry, whom the former England midfielder led to promotion from the Championship in April.
Glasner is departing as Palace’s most successful manager having added Conference League success last week to his FA Cup triumph last season. He wrote an open letter to the fans on Tuesday, saying it had been a “privilege” to work there.
“The club is built on the strongest of connections between the team and its fans,” he wrote. “I feel very fortunate to have been on an amazing journey with you all during the time I have been here.”
Glasner said results had “shown that Crystal Palace can fight against the very best teams at home and across the continent”.
