Pierre Sage arrives at Crystal Palace with the Eagles in a strong position.
The squad is packed with World Cup stars, confidence is high after winning three trophies in the last year, and there are clear plans to improve the infrastructure as construction begins at Selhurst Park.
However, Sage now has a problem on his hands which he perhaps did not expect as Walter Benitez begins to agitate for a move away from Crystal Palace.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Walter Benitez ready to make sacrifices in order to leave Crystal Palace
Nice-Matin in France now state that the Argentina international is so keen to return to OGC Nice this summer, he is even prepared to terminate his contract with Crystal Palace.
The French news outlet add that Benitez is also willing to take a pay cut on his £35,000-a-week salary in order to seal a return to OGC Nice.
The South American remains under contract with Crystal Palace until July 2028, so he would be sacrificing well over £3m in wages should he rip up his deal at Selhurst Park now.
Benitez only made eight appearances across all competitions last season, and clearly wants more playing time.
It remains to be seen how Sage handles this situation internally, which Oliver Glasner interestingly had a repeat of during his first summer in charge of Crystal Palace when Sam Johnstone grew disillusioned.
The England international even kicked off about losing his No.1 shirt after it was made clear Dean Henderson would be first choice under Glasner, taking the No.32 instead as he then forced a move away to Wolves.
Matt Hobbs is, however, seemingly prepared to make a swift move for a new goalkeeper should Benitez depart.
An offer has reportedly been made for Croatia international Dominik Livakovic and Fenerbahce are ready to sell the 31-year-old.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
The former Dinamo Zagreb glovesman has an excellent reputation after helping Croatia to third place at the 2022 World Cup, and would be a fine replacement for Benitez in terms of pedigree.
