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Crystal Palace are seemingly a matter of days away from hiring Pierre Sage after Oliver Glasner ended his stint in charge on a high in Leipzig.
French news outlet L’Equipe believe the 47-year-old and RC Lens now find it “impossible” to continue working together after the Frenchman requested to leave, following an interview with Crystal Palace.
It seems that only a compensation package is in the way of Sage moving to Selhurst Park, considering he is only 12 months into his three-year contract.
With the appointment widely expected to materialise after Andoni Iraola opted to join Liverpool instead, we reached out to RC Lens supporter Maxime Louvier to get a better understanding of what the former Lyon boss could bring to SE25.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP via Getty Images Exclusive: Pierre Sage tipped to be the “perfect coach” for Crystal Palace
Louvier told We Are Palace: “His style of play is a 3-4-3 with two pistons (wing-backs) in Matthieu Udol and Saud Abdulhamid and two central midfielders, Adrien Thomasson and Mamadou Sangaré. He likes to press the opposing team directly after losing the ball, he likes to have control of the ball and attack at the right time.
“Sage is very calm on the bench during the game, he remains stoic and never stresses. It is rather his deputy (Jamal Alioui) who gives the instructions and shouts on the edge of the field.”
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
When asked if Sage – who upset Wilfried Zaha at Lyon – would be a wise choice by Steve Parish to replace Glasner, Louvier continued: “Yes absolutely. This is a coach close to his players and one who gives the necessary support. Crystal Palace look a lot like Lens (passionate, spirited supporters) and Pierre likes that! He also won the first RC Lens Coupe de France (equivalent to the FA Cup in England).”
Louvier was also asked what RC Lens fans are thinking about Sage’s imminent departure and whether there are any hard feelings, to which he added: “He has a good image in general amongst the supporters, even if some do not understand his choice to leave the club when we are going to play in the Champions League!
“In general, he is a popular coach at the club, but also in France because he works miracles and he is really a good person (strong mentality, impressive tactics). In short, he is a perfect coach for Palace!”
Where do you think we can finish in the UEFA Europa League next season after victory in Leipzig? 🤔
If Nottingham Forest can reach the last four while in a relegation battle, surely we can at least make the final? 👀
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images Many thanks to @MaximeLLB23 for their contributions – be sure to give them a follow on X (previously known as Twitter)