Crystal Palace Sack Pierre Sage After Five Months as Lens Circle Their Old Boss

Crystal Palace have sacked Pierre Sage after five months in charge, and the Frenchman may not even have to wait for the payoff. Reports say the decision came on Monday, a day after a 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool left Palace bottom of the Premier League, and that RC Lens have already put Sage on their shortlist to replace the manager they sacked themselves. Thomas Frank is the early favourite to take over at Selhurst Park, though Palace have yet to formally confirm that Sage has gone.

What happened to Pierre Sage?

The Sun reports Palace sacked the 47-year-old on Monday after just five months in the job, making him the first Premier League manager to be axed this season. He was hired in June to replace Oliver Glasner, the man who delivered the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Conference League in the most successful spell in the club’s history, and he never got close to matching it. Sunday’s loss to Liverpool was the final straw for chairman Steve Parish, and it was the fourth straight league defeat.

Why did Palace sack him after five months?

Because the numbers gave them no cover. Sage won two of his ten Premier League games, lost seven, and his side conceded 24 goals, the worst defensive record in the division. Opta’s analysis shows the problems ran deeper than the results: Palace have faced shots worth 21.87 expected goals, the most of any side, and allowed 189 shots, 23 more than any other team. They have conceded seven goals from crosses, the most in the league, and 15 shots from fast breaks. The defeat left Palace bottom of the table after a round of fixtures for the first time since December 2017, and the international break gave the board a clean two weeks to make the change.

Who is in line to replace Sage?

Thomas Frank, according to The Sun and The Telegraph, with Sean Dyche also in the frame. Frank has been out of work since Tottenham sacked him in February after eight months in north London, but his seven years at Brentford still carry weight, and Palace spoke to him in the summer before they hired Sage. The Telegraph reports Frank has been told there will be heavy investment in the squad in the winter transfer window if he agrees to take the job. Dyche offers the other option, a manager with a long record of keeping struggling sides up, after leaving Nottingham Forest earlier this year. One man has already said no: The Sun reports Eddie Howe turned down a recent approach from Palace, despite being ready to return to management.

Why are Lens already circling their old boss?

Because Lens have a vacancy of their own, and Sage is the obvious name on it. The French club sacked Yannick Cahuzac after he won six of his first nine matches, and reports in France put Sage on a three-man shortlist to replace him. Sage led Lens to a first Coupe de France title and a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season before moving to England, so a return within six months would be one of the quickest managerial round trips in recent memory. It would also suit Palace’s finances: the club gave Sage a three-year contract in June, and if Lens hire him they may be able to avoid paying it off in full. That timing question is one reason the formal confirmation has not arrived yet, and it is the same merry-go-round that saw Osasuna sack Ramis and bring back Arrasate on a deal until 2029 in Spain last month.

Why have Palace not formally confirmed the sacking?

The Sun is explicit that Palace are yet to formally confirm his departure, even while reporting the decision as made. The delay looks tactical rather than uncertain: the international break gives the club time, the Lens interest gives them a reason to wait, and the replacement search is still open. The Athletic reported on Sunday that the sacking was set to happen, and by Monday the reporting had moved from expected to done, with Frank named as the driving-seat candidate. Until the club statement lands, the sacking rests on those reports, and this article says so plainly rather than presenting it as an official announcement.

Was Sage unlucky?

Partly, and Opta makes the case for him. Chadi Riad was ruled out for the season in August, Jean-Philippe Mateta missed two months and then served a three-match ban, top scorer Ismaila Sarr has played twice in the league through injury, and first-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson has missed half the games. Palace have named the joint-most different centre-back partnerships in the division, seven, and only Hull City have finished fewer games with the same partnership they started with. But the same analysis offers little vindication: Palace sit on 9.6 expected points, the second worst in the league, and Opta’s supercomputer gives them a 53.6 percent chance of relegation. Sage’s own final interview gave the game away. “It’s not good to go into the international break in this situation because we have two weeks without games,” he said. “At the moment we create somethings, expect a lot of things, but we don’t have the results expected.” The pressure on managers is the same everywhere, and Michael Carrick is waiting on his own Monday decision at Manchester United while Southampton’s boss was handed a suspended ban in a separate disciplinary case.

What happens next?

Palace confirm the departure, then appoint a successor before the league resumes, and the fixtures after the break are among the easiest in the league by Opta’s power rankings. That is why the next manager inherits almost a 50-50 chance of keeping Palace up despite the bottom-place start, and why the job still appeals to Frank even after his Tottenham experience. For Sage, the wait may be short: if Lens move quickly, he could be back in a dugout before Palace have even announced his exit, and the club that sacked him would be spared the payoff. Liverpool, the side that delivered the final defeat, have their own red-card argument to settle from the weekend, but for Palace the story now is who walks through the door next.