Pierre Sage explains why he’s given up Champions League football for Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace’s new manager Pierre Sage has revealed the club first contacted him about a move in December.

L’Equipe have an interview with the new Palace boss today in which he provides a background to the move, when first contact happened and why he’s happy to give up Champions League football at Lens.

Crystal Palace contact

Crystal Palace confirmed Pierre Sage as their new head coach on a three-year deal last month, with him officially beginning work at Selhurst Park earlier this week.

Sage agreed to the switch following an impressive season in France with Lens, where he guided them to second place in Ligue 1 and a Coupe de France triumph.

The Eagles moved quickly to secure the French coach’s signature after missing out on Andoni Iraola. It was, at first, unclear what direction they would take after Oliver Glasner announced his decision to leave the club earlier in the year. But Sage insists that, actually, the move was gestating since at least December.

“I had my first contacts from December onwards, and that didn’t stop us from having the season we did,” he said.

“They were just initial enquiries, so they didn’t call my contract into question. I’d let the club know, but without telling them what my position was, as I didn’t have a position at that point.”

First contact in December

And he insists negotiations didn’t take place during the season, despite suspicions from some sections of the Lens fanbase.

“That first contact in December was with Palace,” he added.

“It helped me set myself a rule: it acted as a barrier against all other approaches, which I systematically put off until after the league and the Coupe de France.

“There was an offer from one of the big Saudi clubs. And also from English, Italian, German, Turkish and French clubs, all of which came in from around April onwards. But the priority was that there was a season to play and a commitment to the players that had to be honoured.”

Premier League dream

His departure from Lens, and the rapid manner of it, has left him with few fans at his former club. But he would like fans to see his side of the argument, and why he had to take the opportunity now.

“Not so long ago, I had a dream: to be part of the coaching staff at a professional club,” he explained.

“I achieved it when, after serving as assistant manager at Red Star, I took charge of OL. I never thought I’d hold that position in my life, given my background. But once I’d achieved that dream, I told myself I needed to set my sights on another one. And that other dream was to make it to the Premier League one day.

“I’ve come to realise that this opportunity won’t come round again. For me, it’s part of a slightly deeper context: I didn’t have a career before. My professional life in football spans from the age of 45 to 60. Perhaps I’m not on the same timeline as everyone else.”

The biggest surprise is that he has given up a shot at the Champions League with the French side for Crystal Palace. The Eagles have enjoyed success under Glasner in recent years but finished firmly in mid-table last season. Sage, though, sees it differently.

“When people say to me, “You won’t be playing in the Champions League,” I reply, “No, but I’ll be playing in the Champions League every weekend in the Premier League,” he concluded.