Pierre Sage on shortlist for new job immediately after Crystal Palace sacking

Pierre Sage has been warned that he’s not going to get another job in the Premier League after his disappointing spell at Crystal Palace. The 47-year-old, who revealed last year that his dream was to work in England, lasted just months in charge of the Eagles. The Frenchman, who talkSPORT revealed had been fighting to save his job following last month’s 5-0 derby mauling by Brighton , will be sacked following the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool. No official announcement has been made, but it is expected to be imminent. Sunday’s result was the club’s fourth successive Premier League defeat , which consigned them to the bottom of the table. It’s the first time Palace have occupied last place in the top-flight since December 2017, before Roy Hodgson masterminded survival. Pierre Sage next job after Palace exit European football expert Andy Brassell has assessed what could be next for Sage, who previously managed both Lyon and Lens. Les Sang, who finished eighth under Will Still in the 2024/25 season, feared relegation when the Englishman left for Southampton . Yet Lens, who were in Ligue 2 as recently as 2020 , incredibly finished just six points behind Paris Saint-Germain under Sage last year. However, his former club have struggled with Yannick Cahuzac at the helm, having been humiliated in a 9-1 defeat to Como last week. Cahuzac has now been axed by Lens, with L’Équipe reporting that the French club have drawn up a three-man shortlist that includes Sage . On Sage’s next steps, Brassell explained to talkSPORT.com: “I think it’s difficult because, from his perspective, with him not having worked out in England, he’s not going to get another job in the Premier League at the moment, rightly or wrongly. “So I think wherever he’s going next, you’re probably looking at a pay cut, and that’s something he’ll have to live with. Back to France is the obvious spot “Of course there’s been a lot of Lyon fans hoping he would go back there,” Brassell continued. “That was never really on the cards – even before they came to an agreement with Carlos Vicens, who’s the former assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, to take over. “He’s in this difficult spot, really, isn’t he? Now he’s got the reputation of being a coach who is on a certain wage, but really going back to France is the obvious spot. “Now, I suppose it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that it might be Lens or Lyon in the medium term; he still counts Lyon as his home. “He’s got a lot of good relationships there. He’s really loved again, would take a massive pay cut. “If you look at Lens, there was a little bit of push and pull when it came to him going to Palace, and there was frustration on his side that there wasn’t an improved budget being put forward for the team. “And there was frustration from their side that he was open to going after just a year there, so that would need to be smoothed out. “But Yannick Cahuzac found it hard – he’s someone who’s enormously respected at the club, close to Jean-Louis Leca, the sporting director. “But you know they’ve just come off a week where they’ve got absolutely marmalised in the Champions League against Como. “I know you can say it’s just one game, but the traces of that are going to last for a while. “Fans are very unhappy about it. There was a big banner displayed by some of the fans on Sunday night against Marseille, saying to the players, rather than the coach, you are the shame of 120 years of history, which is pretty unequivocal, and Cahuzac’s inexperienced. “They’re playing Marseille in a huge game in the same stadium at their own stadium, Bollaert-Delelis, and they concede a daft goal after 80 seconds, and they’re back in trouble again straight away. “They only lost narrowly in the end to a late goal, but it’s a steep climb to get them back in the right place.” The other options in France Away from his former clubs, Brassell also floated the prospect of two separate jobs in Ligue 1 that could find their way onto Sage’s radar. He added to talkSPORT: “You’re not going to want the Marseille job because it’s a huge club, but it’s not well backed at the moment. “So really I guess you’re looking at one of the other biggest jobs to crack in France. “Maybe Franck Haise gets himself in trouble at Rennes if they go on a mini bad run because, of course, they’re always well funded, one of the better funded teams in Ligue 1 and the other one is Monaco.” Filipe Luís, who departed his role as Flamengo head coach in March after guiding the Brazilians to the Copa Libertadores and the Brasileirao title , only took over Monaco in the summer. “Filipe Luís is a relatively inexperienced coach,” Brassell admitted. “They’re on a bad run at the moment, no wins in five, and Monaco are not known for their patience. “I think firing either of those guys would be mega harsh at the moment, and I certainly don’t see it happening at Rennes in the near future; you never know, because these are clubs that have invested a lot of money to try and make their ambitions of European football – of Champions League football come true. “I think Sage will be, if not next cab off the rank, pretty close. If one of those big clubs loses a coach, there will be demand! “More through a lack of luck, it feels like Pierre Sage will be having a bit of a mini break, and I don’t think a bit of reflection is a bad thing at all at this time for him to take a breath and think about what he’s going to do and what he wants to do next.”