It feels absurd that Crystal Palace lifted the Europa League less than six months ago. They were on top of the world, making history on top of history under Oliver Glasner. Beneath this high always lies the ultimate low as their symbol manager tilts.
Replacing the best head coach in the history of the club has always been an impossible task.
Glasner pointed to Palace’s transfer policy as something a manager could handle. Pierre Sage has since exposed the undeniable truth about the same policy and can be paid for his work.
Why is the writing on the wall for Sage at the Crystal Palace?
For now, the bottom line is that Sage’s work is safe. Palace are reportedly confident in their summer pick to be the next Glasner, even if the results don’t come.
Unfortunately, the truth is that as soon as a club sends out the same brief, the writing is on the wall. When the rumors start and reporters start asking anxious questions, the end is near, not the beginning of the miraculous turnaround.
Having won twice in nine games, the “Eagles” rose from the European glory to the 18th place in the Premier League. No matter how those at Selhust Park spin it, those in the shelter will be the first to face the consequences of these results.
After all is said and done, Sage can look back on summer recruiting while looking for where things started to go wrong.
Crystal Palace summer transfers | |
|---|---|
It’s not empty | 21 million pounds |
Dwight McNeil | 20 million pounds |
Quinten Timber | 20 million pounds |
Xavier Gozo | £11 million |
Dario Osorio | Loan (£22m liability) |
To Oscar Minguez | Free |
Ben Chilwell | Free |
Takehiro Tomiyasu | Free |
Honest Ahanor | Credit |
Axel Disasi | Credit |
Palace lost Maxence Lacroix and spent one of their biggest fees on Dwight McNeil, who failed to make a mark at Everton. Everywhere the new manager looked, he saw a downgrade—perhaps in a shelter.
Leading candidates to replace Sage
After it became clear that the pressure was on Sage, several names threatened to steal the headlines. The reports mention the likes of Sean Dyche, Thomas Frank and even England assistant Anthony Barry.
The latter has even reportedly emerged as a shock front-runner after working with Thomas Tuchel at the 2026 World Cup.
Barry represents a wildcard option, but it remains to be seen if Palace are willing to take another risk after Sage. Meanwhile, after disappointing spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, Frank and Dyche were out to buy.
However, they are not very interesting options. Frank was often maligned for his slow and disastrous approach to Spurs, while Dyche was never known for his free-flowing football.
If Palace want to return to their best in Europe, then they need to bring another option back to the Premier League.
How Crystal Palace can recruit their own Hurzels to replace Sage
Those at Selhurst Park should be looking for young, hungry managers who can bring fresh ideas to the table. They are European champions and they should act like it. By recruiting Frank or Dyche, they will decide a time when they need to move on.
On paper, Sage was the right type of hire. He spent much of the last campaign fighting for the Ligue 1 title with Lens against Paris Saint-Germain, only struggling at Palace. That shouldn’t deter the Eagles. They should be brave and approach someone desperate for a Premier League buyout.
That man is Liam Rosenior. After leaving Chelsea, the 4-2-3-1 manager thrived at Paris FC, leading the club to third place a year after finishing 11th. He punches well above his weight, as does Brighton & Hove Albion’s Fabian Hurzeler.
When Crystal Palace were recently thrashed by rivals Brighton, they should have left the AMEX hoping for their version of Hurzeler – a young manager with modern ideas who will play his way no matter what. This is Rosenior.
He fell on his sword at Chelsea, but has since kicked it off the ground and crowned himself king in Paris. East London should be next in his quest to conquer management.
It was only in the summer that Steve Parise reportedly shortlisted Rosenior for the Palace job before opting for Sage and following the Englishman to France.
Now he must once again ignore Rosenior’s failure in the Premier League and convince him to leave Paris for Sara, hiring a manager who has beaten PSG this season.