“Não há ressentimento, nem raiva” – Diretor esportivo do Lens reage à transferência de Pierre Sage para o Crystal Palace

Despite leading RC Lens to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 and winning the Coupe de France, Pierre Sage will not be on the touchline at the Stade Bollaert as the club prepare to host UEFA Champions League football.

Instead, he will be at Selhurst Park. It was confirmed on Monday that Sage is the new Crystal Palace manager. He left Lens after just one season – a highly successful season – but despite the surprising turn of events, the Ligue 1 club’s sporting director, Benjamin Parrot, said that there was “no acrimony, no anger” towards the new Crystal Palace manager. 

He added, “Our daily life is about managing offers, managing potential departures, potential arrivals. Before in football, that only concerned players but in the world of modern football, that also includes managers.”

Parrot said that there were also no “regrets” that more of a financial effort was not made to retain Sage. “We wish him the best. We won’t forget what he achieved. We will still be positive about this magnificent season and now it’s time for what comes next,” added Lens’ sporting director.

What comes next for Les Sang et Or is Dino Toppmoller. The German, the former manager of Eintracht Frankfurt, has been brought in to replace Sage and lead the club ahead of their European campaign next season.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle