Pierre Sage has now officially been announced by Crystal Palace as the replacement for Oliver Glasner.
Some Crystal Palace fans may be unaware that the Frenchman actually managed Lyon under John Textor while the American was also a co-owner at Selhurst Park.
Sage took over from Fabio Grosso in November 2023 as Lyon sat bottom of Ligue 1 after a single win in their first 14 games that season, and remarkably ended up finishing sixth – securing qualification for the UEFA Europa League as a result.
Despite that, Textor ended up sacking the 47-year-old in January 2025 due to the fact he felt Sage would not be able to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, even though his own staff initially felt it was a “crazy” decision.
Give us your instant reaction to the news that Pierre Sage has been appointed as the new Crystal Palace manager 👇
He did a great job at Lens…
The man born in Lons-le-Saunier ended up having the last laugh as he guided RC Lens to UEFA Champions League qualification last season, and will surely cringe after seeing how Textor reacted to his move to Crystal Palace.
John Textor has no shame with reaction to Pierre Sage appointment
After hearing that the man he unfairly sacked had moved to Crystal Palace, Textor said: “Congratulations Pierre!… You are back in your best colours! 🔵🔴 Good luck, brother!”
The former Crystal Palace co-owner also posted an Instagram story which read: “Congratulations Pierre… soon the world will know!”
The cheek of it.
What John Textor and Pierre Sage said about decision to part ways at Lyon
Textor spoke to Canal Plus in February 2025 about his bold decision to fire Sage – who could lose Maxence Lacroix this summer.
He said: “I asked my football staff, should we make a move on the coach right now? They said, no, it’s crazy, it’s too risky, and we shouldn’t do it.
“So I said, well, okay, second question. Do you think we can make it to the Champions League with this coach? They said no. So I said, third question. Do you want to give up on the ambition of Champions League football this season? They said, of course not. So I said, I’ll ask a fourth question. It’s the same as the first. Should we make a move on the coach? Then they all said yes.”
Talk about pressuring people into the decision.
Sage – who cost Crystal Palace £2.6m – also spoke about the situation himself to The Athletic in April 2025. The new Crystal Palace boss said: “The decision was a market opportunity for the owner. The name of Paulo Fonseca against the name Pierre Sage gave him more guarantees to maybe find a new investor, to improve the club in other ways too.
“He wanted this coach for a long time and he had the opportunity to get him, so he convinced him to come and they did a deal for two and a half years, but I have a lot of respect for the owner because he gave me my chance.
“It was a really close relationship because he’s close to the team, he’s close to the staff, he’s close to the sporting directors in each of his clubs. We had a lot of discussion about the starting XI, about the system, about the assets because it’s a business too, about the way to help the young players and to improve the team in the way of playing and in the transfer window. It’s normal because it’s his money and his club.”
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
Sage clearly adopted a very mature response to his harsh dismissal, a mentality that should stand him in good stead during his time in the Premier League.
