Crystal Palace weigh up Sean Dyche and Thomas Frank as Pierre Sage’s reign unravels
Published: 2026-10-26 12:00:00
Crystal Palace’s 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United appears to have brought Pierre Sage’s troubled spell at Selhurst Park close to an end, amid mounting frustration among supporters and doubts inside the club about whether he can repair the team’s defensive problems.
The defeat was described as a potential final blow for the Frenchman. Palace’s decline has been accompanied by a toxic atmosphere, while opinion remains divided over whether Sage was let down by chairman Steve Parish and sporting director Matt Hobbs or was given as much backing as the club could manage.
A summer of missed targets and costly corrections
Palace did secure goalkeeper Dean Henderson on a new contract and held on to Adam Wharton, whose anticipated big-money departure never materialised. But the club failed to land several priority targets. A long-term successor to Maxence Lacroix was not found after his move to Chelsea, while Malick Fofana, a winger Sage had worked with at Lyon, joined Sunderland after a last-minute change of plans.
The club has also continued to feel the effects of Marc Guehi’s January exit. Loan arrivals Axel Disasi, Honest Ahanor and Takehiro Tomiyasu were brought in to help, but the report says Tomiyasu has been fit enough to start only twice. Palace spent £73 million on Dwight McNeil, Anan Khalaili, Quinten Timber and Zavier Gozo, while Brennan Johnson was sold at a reported £20 million loss after only six months. Jorgen Strand Larsen, meanwhile, has scored four times since arriving from Wolves.
Defensive crisis deepens
The most immediate concern is at the back. Palace’s 5-0 loss to Brighton left them with the Premier League’s worst defence, according to the report, and conceding three goals in 10 minutes against their rivals was treated as part of a recurring problem rather than an isolated collapse. Chris Richards has struggled when asked to play centrally in the back three, while Disasi has endured a difficult start.
There were more encouraging signs in Europe against Besiktas, but Palace still failed to protect a lead against 10 men. Sage, who inherited a difficult situation—including Jean-Philippe Mateta’s injury and uncertainty around Ismaila Sarr after a proposed move to Liverpool collapsed—has been credited with keeping a calm and accessible manner through the turmoil. He also retained members of Oliver Glasner’s coaching staff to limit disruption.
That patience has not been enough to quiet the doubts. Recent positive results, the report notes, came with caveats: Palace benefited from poor Fulham defending in one win, while Jefferson Lerma’s goal against Nottingham Forest stood despite an apparent handball.
Dyche among possible successors
Sean Dyche is described as an early frontrunner if Palace decide to make a change. Thomas Frank is also in contention; both managers are currently out of work after leaving Nottingham Forest and Tottenham respectively. Kieran McKenna is another name under consideration, although he left Ipswich over the summer intending to spend more time with his young family.
A move for Victor Matos could carry a significant compensation bill because of the remaining term on his Swansea contract. Palace had already paid Lens around £4 million to release Sage, who could become one of the club’s shortest-serving managers, alongside Frank de Boer and Sam Allardyce.