Crystal Palace Announces the Appointment of Pierre Sage as Head Coach

The English club Crystal Palace announced the appointment of Frenchman Pierre Sage as the new head coach of the team on a three-year contract, pending the completion of his work visa procedures.

The 47-year-old coach arrives at Selhurst Park after an impressive season with Lens, during which he was awarded the Best Coach in the French League and led the team to secure their first French Cup title in history, as well as ensuring qualification for the UEFA Champions League for only the fourth time in the club's history. Under his leadership, Lens made significant progress in the French League, advancing six positions and earning 18 additional points compared to the previous season, with a win rate of 67.5% across all competitions.

Sage had previously achieved a remarkable accomplishment with Olympique Lyon when he took over the team temporarily in November 2023 while they were at the bottom of the French league standings. He then led them to win 15 out of 20 league matches, securing qualification for the Europa League, in addition to reaching the final of the French Cup.

Club chairman Steve Parish said: "I am very excited to welcome Pierre, who joins us after a title-winning season with Lens and securing the runner-up position in the French league. As we enter a new European campaign following our success in Leipzig, I am confident that he will give his all to achieve more successes for the club."

For his part, Pierre Sage expressed his happiness at joining Crystal Palace, saying: "It's great to be here. I am excited about the club's history and what has been achieved in recent years. Oliver Glasner has done amazing things, and now I have to do the same, so we come with great ambitions. We want to make the fans proud of the team and the club, and we will do our utmost for them because we are all together."