Ismaïla Sarr Leads Crystal Palace With Pierre Sage Until 2029
Ismaïla Sarr’s Crystal Palace story now sits inside a new managerial era, with Pierre Sage appointed on a contract through the summer of 2029. Palace moved after Oliver Glasner chose not to renew his deal, and Sage arrives with a recent record that includes a trophy-winning season and a second-place finish at RC Lens.
Pierre Sage Takes Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace appointed the 47-year-old after agreeing a compensation package with RC Lens to release him from his contract. The move gives Palace a long runway with a manager who just guided Lens to second in Ligue 1 last season, six points behind champions Paris Saint-Germain.
That finish was only the third time Lens had placed that high in the table since winning the title in the 1997-98 season. Sage’s work there is the clearest part of the brief Palace are buying: a coach who has just taken a club to the top end of a league and done it over a full campaign, not a short burst.
Glasner Leaves After Silverware
Palace’s reset follows a productive end to Oliver Glasner’s spell. He led the club to the FA Cup and signed off in May with victory in the Conference League final before deciding not to renew his contract, which expires on June 30.
That left Palace searching for a replacement while Andoni Iraola had been their primary target before Liverpool moved to appoint him. Sage became the answer after Palace and Lens settled the release terms, and the timing turns a vacancy into a long-term hire rather than a stopgap.
Sage Sets the Tone
Sage has already leaned into the scale of the job. “It's amazing to be here at Crystal Palace. I am excited by the history of the club, and by recent seasons. Oliver Glasner achieved some amazing things, and now I have to do the same. That's why we come here with a lot of ambition.”
He added that Palace’s “dynamic” was “really positive” and said the club would lean on “a lot of winning habits.” Steve Parish framed the appointment the same way, describing Sage as someone who arrives “off the back of a trophy-winning season at Lens as well as a fabulous second-place finish in Ligue 1.”
For Palace, the immediate practical change is simple: the club now has a manager tied down for three years, with backroom staff details due later. For Sage, the job begins with expectations shaped by what Glasner just delivered and by the standard he set at Lens, where the table finish and the compensation agreement both show Palace did not hire lightly.
