Crystal Palace’s pending appointment of Pierre Sage as their new manager offers room for optimism in a post-Oliver Glasner world.It will be extremely difficult to top the remarkable success that Glasner, who leaves at the end of his two-and-a-half-year contract, helped bring to Palace by winning the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League, as well as shifting the mentality of the club and its supporters.Palace, undoubtedly helped by the advanced notice that Glasner was leaving, were eager to make a quick appointment. By hiring Sage two weeks after their final game of the season — that Conference League win in Leipzig over Rayo Vallecano — that is what they have done.But it has not come at the cost of making the right appointment. Due diligence has been undertaken, and while Sage could yet prove to not live up to hopes and expectations, he is an exciting hire whose achievements and background suggest he has every chance of doing well.It is a change from the past. Rewind to the summer of 2021 and Palace cycled through their managerial targets. Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe, Frank Lampard, Steve Cooper and Valerien Ismael were all considered to replace the outgoing Roy Hodgson.They made an opportunistic approach for Nuno Espirito Santo, only for that deal to fall through at the last. Lucien Favre was approached and a deal was close at the end of June, only for the Swiss to change his mind late on and leave Palace scrambling to bring in a new manager sooner rather than later.In the end, they turned to Patrick Vieira, appointing the former Arsenal midfielder on July 4, a fortnight before the start of pre-season but still later than they would have liked. The move did initially bring success before it fell apart in his second season and he was reluctantly dismissed. This time, they have known that Glasner was going to leave since he told chairman Steve Parish back in October and revealed it publicly in January. That gave ample time, in theory, to source his successor. But availability changes over the course of a season, and potential success or failure may make a manager more or less attractive.Then there is the impact of the season Palace themselves play out and where they will be in the forthcoming campaign.Sage guided Lens to second in Ligue 1 and to their first victory in the Coupe de France, while Palace qualified for the Europa League courtesy of their Conference League success.Pierre Sage lifts the Coupe de France with Lens (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)Despite the inability to secure their main managerial target, Andoni Iraola, who joined Liverpool, Palace still swiftly switched their full attention to Sage. It is to their credit that they reacted and appreciated the importance of bringing someone in with sufficient time to integrate him into the club before the start of pre-season and another potentially draining domestic and European campaign.They had always hoped to secure their new manager before the start of the summer’s World Cup. This appointment should end up being just about concluded within that timeframe.It seems to be a natural fit, on paper at least, and brings with it a large degree of continuity that ought to stand Palace in good stead for the new season. While there is a measure of control as to who among their squad leaves this summer, that is partly not within their gift, and the movement of their players will inevitably have an impact on how much familiarity there is among the team.But Sage’s tactical approach bears similarities with Glasner’s, meaning there is less requirement for Palace, who will have 12 players at the World Cup returning relatively late to adapt to something new. That is an advantage, given they will be participating in UEFA competition again with limited opportunities to train, especially given the extra two league-phase games in the Europa League compared to the Conference League.Chadi Riad is one of 12 Crystal Palace players at the World Cup (Vincent Carchietta/Getty Images)Inevitably, there is an element of risk involved.Sage has limited experience at a high level, with fewer than three full seasons in charge at Lyon and Lens. He has never tasted life in England, let alone the Premier League. But there is versatility in both his tactical approach and his coaching career, given he has worked at a lower level as a manager and a first-team coach, as well as his role as academy coach at Lyon.All of that should give him a good grounding and holistic view of a club and how best to coach. Given Palace are eager for their manager to promote the best academy talent where possible, that is an advantage.In any case, hiring a more experienced manager does not guarantee success either, and Sage has produced excellent results with both his previous clubs while working with high-profile players such as Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette. His relative inexperience should not be an issue, particularly given he is an intelligent, studious coach who is keen on self-improvement.The hope is this appointment works for Palace. The speed with which they have made it following the end of the Premier League and Ligue 1 seasons, and with their first-choice target moving elsewhere, is impressive.Jun 11, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms