Crystal Palace have appointed Lens manager Pierre Sage as their head coach on a three-year contract.
The 47-year-old Frenchman replaces Oliver Glasner, who left the Eagles at the end of the 2025-26 season after two and a half years in charge.
Sage joined Lens 12 months ago and led them to a second-placed finish in Ligue 1 and the first Coupe de France triumph in the club’s 120-year history.
He previously spent 14 months as head coach of Lyon, initially on an interim basis, and guided them to Europa League qualification in 2024-25.
Palace had been interested in former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, now at Liverpool, with Frank Lampard, Kieran McKenna, and Sean Dyche also reportedly in the mix.
Sage has big shoes to fill after Glasner won three trophies during his time in south London.
The Austrian led the Eagles to the first major trophy in their history – the FA Cup in 2025 – and followed up by winning the Community Shield and Conference League last season.
Their European triumph means Palace will play Europa League football in Sage’s debut campaign.
He will be joined at the club by Jamal Alioui, his assistant coach at Lens. Existing Palace coaches Paddy McCarthy and Andy Quy will stay on as part of Sage’s backroom staff.
