Why Lyon didn’t approach Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage
Sage a priority target for Lens’ president “Pierre is under contract at Crystal Palace, so that wasn’t an option.
Key points
- Sage’s exit from Premier League club still not confirmed Manager’s potential return to France could benefit Palace Crystal Palace could avoid paying Pierre Sage significant compensation if he is reappointed by his former club, Lens, with the manager’s departure from Selhurst Park yet to be confirmed.
- The decision to sack Sage was made on Sunday evening after Palace slumped to a 3-1 defeat against Liverpool.
- It was their fourth successive loss in the Premier League and left them bottom of the table for the first time since 2017.
Whilst Lyon did not want to lose the Portuguese manager, they didn’t want to stand in his way.
Of course, Sage may not be under contract at Crystal Palace for too much longer.
Additional details
- Speaking at his unveiling, sporting director Matthieu Louis-Jean explained why the club did not move to bring back Sage.
- The vacancy opened up the possiblity of Sage returning to the club, but it was instead Carlos Vicens, out of work since leaving SC Braga in October, who was appointed.
- The Frenchman, a boyhood fan of the club, has previously said that he has unfinished business at the club, having left in early 2025 to be replaced by Paulo Fonseca.
- We worked on a list of manages with specific characteristics and Carlos matched perfectly,” he said on Tuesday.
- In any case, he is the priority target for owner and president Joseph Oughourlian, L’Équipe understands.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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