Crystal Palace has named Pierre Sage as their new manager following Oliver Glasner’s departure.
Sage, who led Lens to a French Cup victory and a second-place finish behind Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, has signed a three-year contract that is pending visa approval.
The Frenchman took over at Lens in June 2025 and was named Ligue 1’s manager of the season after his impressive achievements.
Despite having two years remaining on his contract at Lens, sources indicate that owner Joseph Oughourlian was reluctant to let the former Lyon manager leave.
However, Oughourlian recognized Sage’s desire to manage in the Premier League and join the south London club.
This appointment follows Glasner’s announcement in January regarding his plans to leave Selhurst Park by the summer.
Crystal Palace identified Sage as their top choice for the role when Andoni Iraola was named the Liverpool head coach.
Sage steps into a position following a successful era under Glasner, during which the Austrian manager secured three prestigious trophies in just 12 months.
In 2025, Palace clinched the FA Cup with a victory over Manchester City in the final at Wembley, thanks to a goal from Eberechi Eze.
The following summer, they celebrated another triumph at Wembley by winning the Community Shield after a penalty shootout against Liverpool.
Although Palace faced elimination from the Europa League due to a breach of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules—where American businessman John Textor owned 43% of the club while holding a majority stake in Lyon—Glasner and his team secured a place in the Conference League.
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They ultimately triumphed in that competition, marking a historic European achievement by defeating Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
In a letter to fans after his exit, Glasner described winning that trophy as the “perfect ending” to his tenure in South London.
Before his brief stint at Lens, Sage served as interim manager at Lyon starting in November 2023, and his role was formalized in January when he guided the team to Europa League qualification.
He was dismissed from Lyon in January 2025 following a string of disappointing results.
Information from ESPN’s Julien Laurens contributed to this report.