Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage has opened up about the events prior to his RC Lens exit, right after a successful season.
The Premier League side parted ways with Oliver Glasner at the end of last season. The Austrian, who helped the Eagles win the FA Cup in 2025, finished his Selhurst Park spell by winning the UEFA Conference League.
Glasner’s exit saw Crystal Palace appoint the Frenchman as his successor on June 15th. He arrived in England after spells at Lyon [2023 and 2025] and a season at Lens.
In his only season with the latter, he managed 40 matches, winning 28 and losing eight of them.
Sage guided Lens to a second-place finish, six points behind league winners Paris Saint-Germain. His last match was the 3-1 win over OGC Nice in the Coupe de France final on May 22nd.
Crystal Palace manager making amends
Pierre Sage has given an interview to Ligue 1+ and L’Equipe have relayed his comments.
A day after the Coupe de France success celebration, the coach spoke to Téléfoot. During the interview, he expressed his willingness to continue at RC Lens and indicated a move to the Premier League as a goal “one day”.
However, the manager changed his stance and secured a move to Selhurst Park in June. The newspaper, after pointing them out, states the ‘scenario that ultimately unfolded rapidly after contact with Crystal Palace’.
The 47-year-old now admits his mistakes on how he handled communication during the media tour after the winning the cup competition.
“I would have secured my appearances in the three media outlets I did after the Coupe de France final two and three days later,” he said.
“I was attacked on topics I wasn’t prepared for. The fact that I might be leaving, when all I wanted to do was talk about the amazing experience we’d just shared together.”
| Every Crystal Palace signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight McNeil | Everton | Swap Deal |
| Anan Khalaili | Union Saint-Gilloise | £21m |
| Quinten Timber | Marseille | £17m |
| Zavier Gozo | Real Salt Lake | £11m |
| Darío Osorio | FC Midtjylland | Loan |
| Óscar Mingueza | Celta de Vigo | Free |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | Ajax | Free |
| Ben Chilwell | Chelsea | Loan |
| Axel Disasi | Chelsea | Loan |
| Honest Ahanor | Atalanta | Loan |
| Walter Benítez | PSV Eindhoven | Free |
Crystal Palace boss accepts fans’ reaction
A large section of the RC Lens supporters weren’t pleased when he left them for Crystal Palace in mid-June. Onze Mondial have relayed manager’s additional comments from the same interview.
“I understand the fans’ bitterness, and I challenge everyone to make a decision in such a situation,” Pierre Sage explained.
Under his orders, the Eagles have won three and lost three of the seven matches so far. They are now 15th in the table and will face Nottingham Forest in the league on Sunday.
