Crystal Palace have sacked manager Pierre Sage after just five months and 16 games in charge, with the club bottom of the Premier League. Former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank is in advanced talks to take over at Selhurst Park, according to BBC Sport.
The decision was confirmed on Thursday 12 November 2026, four days after Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat by Liverpool. That loss was Palace’s fourth successive defeat in the Premier League and left the Eagles winless in the league since 11 October 2026.
Pierre Sage’s 16-game reign at a glance
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Manager sacked | Pierre Sage |
| Date confirmed | Thursday 12 November 2026 |
| Time in charge | Five months, appointed June 2026 |
| Games in charge | 16 in all competitions |
| Games won | Five in all competitions |
| Premier League record | Two wins from the opening 10 league matches |
| Goals conceded in the league | 24, the most in the division |
| League position | Bottom of the Premier League |
| Next match | Away at Coventry City, Saturday 21 November 2026 |
| Leading successor | Thomas Frank, in advanced talks |
A five-month spell that unravelled after the Liverpool defeat
Sage arrived at Selhurst Park in June 2026 on a three-year contract, replacing Oliver Glasner, who had left for Nottingham Forest. He had led Lens to a surprise second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, and Palace paid the French club £4 million in compensation to appoint him, according to the Daily Mail.
The early signs were not disastrous in cup competitions, where Sage won five of his 16 games in all competitions. The league form, however, never recovered from a poor start. Palace have won just two of their opening 10 Premier League matches, have conceded 24 goals — the most in the division — and have not won a league game since 11 October 2026.
Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Liverpool at Selhurst Park proved decisive. It was the fourth league defeat in a row, and it left Palace bottom of the table for the first time since December 2017, according to Premier League News Now. The club confirmed the decision on Thursday, and three members of Sage’s coaching staff — Jamal Alioui, Damien Della Santa and Sandy Guichard — also left.
Why Thomas Frank leads the race to replace him
Thomas Frank, 53, has quickly emerged as the leading candidate, and BBC Sport reports that talks over a move to Selhurst Park are now at an advanced stage. Frank has been out of work since Tottenham Hotspur dismissed him in February 2026, after just under eight months in charge.
Palace had already spoken to Frank during their managerial search in the summer, before they chose Sage, and he has been on their list of possible replacements for weeks. Former Nottingham Forest bosses Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira have also been mentioned as alternatives, according to Hayters via LiveScore, but Frank is the clear frontrunner.
The timing is deliberate. Palace do not play again until Saturday 21 November 2026, when they visit Coventry City, so a new manager would have the international break to work with the squad before the next league match. Palace are aiming to use that break to make the change, and they hope to finalise Frank’s appointment before the Coventry game.
What the sacking means for Palace’s season
Sage becomes the second Premier League manager to be sacked this season, after Manchester United dismissed Michael Carrick earlier on Thursday 12 November 2026. That underlines how quickly patience has run out at the bottom of the table, where every dropped point now carries extra weight.
The scale of the rebuild is clear from the numbers. Palace sit bottom of the Premier League, and in Europe they are 21st in the 36-team Europa League table, with one win from four matches. A new manager inherits a squad short on confidence and a defence that has leaked goals in the league, and the Coventry trip on 21 November is now the first test of the post-Sage era.
Frank’s record at Brentford, where he built a side that survived and then established itself in the Premier League, is the reason Palace are turning to him. His eight-month spell at Tottenham ended in dismissal in February, but his reputation as a coach who organises a team and improves players has survived that setback. Whether he can repeat the Brentford trick at a club bottom of the league, with no league win in more than a month, is the question that will define the rest of Palace’s season.
The Premier League’s managerial churn has already shaped this season’s title and relegation races, as shown by the contract stand-off at Manchester United, where Bruno Fernandes has rejected a second contract offer. At Palace, the churn has now reached the dugout, and the next appointment will decide whether a five-month experiment is remembered as a blip or the start of a relegation fight.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Crystal Palace sack Pierre Sage?
Palace sacked Sage after five months and 16 games, with the club bottom of the Premier League after four successive league defeats. Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat by Liverpool was the final trigger, and Palace had won just two of their opening 10 league matches.
How many games did Pierre Sage manage at Crystal Palace?
Sage managed 16 games in all competitions and won five of them. In the Premier League, Palace won two of their opening 10 matches and conceded 24 goals, the most in the division.
Who will replace Pierre Sage at Crystal Palace?
Thomas Frank is in advanced talks to take over, according to BBC Sport. The former Brentford and Tottenham boss, 53, has been out of work since Tottenham dismissed him in February 2026, and Palace had already spoken to him in the summer before appointing Sage.
When is Crystal Palace’s next match?
Palace’s next Premier League match is away at Coventry City on Saturday 21 November 2026, after the international break. Palace hope to finalise the new manager’s appointment before that game.
Who was the first Premier League manager sacked this season?
Michael Carrick was the first, dismissed by Manchester United earlier on Thursday 12 November 2026. Sage is the second Premier League manager to lose his job this season.
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