The Crystal Palace board are now lining up replacements for Pierre Sage, ahead of the EFL Cup round of 16 clash at Fulham on Wednesday night.
Things are looking pretty bleak for Sage, who has made a very poor start to life in the Premier League, with his side conceding 19 goals in their opening eight matches, three more than any other side in the top flight.
The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam has taken aim at the Frenchman’s style of play, saying last week: “Sage talks about the best way to defend being winning the ball, keeping the ball, and playing high – but Palace are 17th in the Premier League for the amount of possession they’ve had. They are not keeping the ball.
“They are also not playing in a low block which he has talked about, so his way of playing isn’t working at the moment. He has had a lot to deal with, but I just don’t see what is going on with their defence – and that isn’t just because they have lost Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix.”
In fairness, things have been turbulent in defence, with Axel Disasi missing three games due to suspension, but the hierarchy cannot allow it to go on like this for much longer, with the Eagles hovering just one point above the relegation zone.
As such, a number of potential replacements for Sage have already been identified.
However, Steve Parish & co have now started to whittle down their shortlist, with another former Premier League manager also emerging as a target.
Crystal Palace torn over Sean Dyche or Thomas Frank
According to a report from The Guardian, the Crystal Palace board are now planning to keep Pierre Sage in place, at least for the time being, with fixtures against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur coming up this week.
Should the 47-year-old lose against Spurs at the weekend though, Parish could pull the trigger, and according to a report from Football Insider, talks have been opened to hire Frank, who has 195 career wins as a manager to his name.
A deal is looking increasingly possible, with the ex-Brentford boss keen on a move to Selhurst Park, and there are signs he could be the ideal man for the job.
First and foremost, the Dane has never been relegated from the Premier League, keeping the Bees in the top flight for four straight seasons after guiding them to promotion from the Championship in 2021.
Journalist Scott Saunders has lauded the 53-year-old for the ‘incredible” job he did at the Gtech Community Stadium, during which time Brentford were never really in much danger, finishing in 13th, 9th, 16th and 10th repsectively.
Crucially for the fans at Selhurst Park, and unlike Dyche, his Brentford teams were famed for their high-intensity style focused on tactical flexibility and vertical build-up, a far cry from the more rigid system of the former Burnley boss.
