Crystal Palace poised to sack Pierre Sage after 3-1 defeat by Liverpool; Thomas Frank emerges as leading candidate
Crystal Palace are poised to sack manager Pierre Sage after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Liverpool at Selhurst Park left the club bottom of the Premier League for the first time since December 2017.
Sage was appointed in mid-June to replace Oliver Glasner and has come under mounting pressure since a 5-0 loss to Brighton last month. Palace have lost four successive league matches, have won only two of their 10 Premier League games this season and have conceded 24 goals, the worst defensive record in the division. The French coach has been in charge for 16 matches.
Despite some promising moments during the Liverpool game, Palace’s tendency to concede from set pieces persisted and it is understood the patience of the club’s hierarchy has worn thin. The club’s slump and defensive frailties have been key factors in the increasing calls for change.
The search for a replacement is understood to have begun and former Brentford manager Thomas Frank has emerged as the main candidate. Frank was dismissed by Tottenham in February, spoke to Palace in the summer and is said to be keen for a new challenge after his spell at Brentford.
Former Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche also has backers at Palace and would be viewed as a safe pair of hands given his extensive Premier League experience, while Vítor Pereira has been mentioned as an alternative.
Sage signed a three-year contract after leaving Lens, where he won the Coupe de France and qualified for the Champions League in his final season. Palace have lost two of their principal central defenders this year — Marc Guéhi moved to Manchester City in January and Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea in the summer — and brought in two loan players, Axel Disasi and the teenager Honest Ahanor, as replacements; the club also failed to land one of Sage’s top targets, Malick Fofana.
Sage denied after the Liverpool game that his dream job had turned into a "nightmare" but suggested that Palace’s squad needed investment in January, saying: "We have to adjust some positions during the winter transfer window to give more solutions," he said. He is expected to become the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season on Monday and Palace are already believed to have started the process of bringing in his replacement.