Thomas Frank leads Crystal Palace’s list as Pierre Sage faces the sack after 16 games and four defeats in a row

Crystal Palace are poised to sack Pierre Sage after just 16 matches in charge, and Thomas Frank has emerged as the main candidate to replace him at Selhurst Park.

Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Liverpool left Crystal Palace bottom of the Premier League after a full round of games for the first time since December 2017. It was a fourth league defeat in a row, and the patience of the club’s hierarchy is understood to have worn thin.

According to BBC Sport, the club have already held internal talks about Pierre Sage‘s future and his possible successor. He is expected to become the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season, although no announcement had been made by Monday morning.

Why are Crystal Palace ready to sack Pierre Sage?

The numbers make grim reading. Palace have taken seven points from their ten league games, won only two of them and conceded 24 goals, the worst defensive record in the division. They have not won a league game since 11 October, and the slide started with a 5-0 thrashing by Brighton, after which Sage admitted he felt “shame”.

There were promising spells against Liverpool, with Palace hitting the bar and having a goal ruled out, but the old problem came back to bite them. Set pieces have cost them all season, and the opener on Sunday came from one, as we covered in our Crystal Palace 1-3 Liverpool report.

Sage was appointed on a three-year contract in June to replace Oliver Glasner, who had led Palace to their first FA Cup and a Europa Conference League title before leaving for Nottingham Forest. The Frenchman arrived with a strong record of his own, having taken Lens to second in Ligue 1 and won the club’s first Coupe de France in their 120-year history.

He was not dealt an easy hand

There is some sympathy for Sage behind the scenes. Palace lost their two first-choice centre-backs in 2026, with Marc Guéhi joining Manchester City in January and Maxence Lacroix moving to Chelsea in the summer. Axel Disasi and the teenager Honest Ahanor came in on loan, and one of Sage’s top targets, Malick Fofana, never arrived.

Injuries did not help either, and nor did the absence of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr through a mix of fitness and personal issues tied to both players wanting to leave.

What did Sage say after the Liverpool defeat?

Sage rejected the idea that his dream job had turned sour. “It’s not from the dream to the nightmare,” he said. “I’m not feeling this. I’m just in my job, and focusing on my job, and what I have to do to find the solution.”

He was honest about the results, though. “Football is about efficiency. If we create these chances, it’s a good step. But the next step is to score. If not, it’s as [if] you did nothing,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m really frustrated, especially for the fans and the players, because I think we’re able to do better.”

He also hinted that the squad needs help in the new year: “We have to adjust some positions during the winter transfer window to give more solutions.”

Is Thomas Frank the next Crystal Palace manager?

Thomas Frank is the name at the top of the list. He spoke to Palace in the summer before they chose Sage, and he is said to be keen on a new challenge. He is out of work and could start straight away.

His seven years at Brentford are what make him attractive. He took the Bees into the Premier League and then established them there, finishing ninth in 2023. His spell at Tottenham went badly, though. He was sacked in February after less than eight months, with Spurs 16th and only five points above the drop zone.

Who else is in the frame?

Sean Dyche has support inside the club and would be seen as a safe pair of hands, while Vitor Pereira, another former Nottingham Forest boss, is an alternative. Frank Lampard, Kim Hellberg, Vitor Matos and Tony Popovic have also been mentioned as names Palace like.

Last week Thomas Tuchel was asked about his England assistant being linked, and he made clear he wants Anthony Barry to stay with England until at least Euro 2028.

Carragher expects a new man at Coventry

Jamie Carragher thought Sunday was one of Palace’s better displays of the season, but he does not believe it will save Sage. “I don’t think you can take the risk as an owner when you think of the finances involved,” he said on Sky Sports. “I think the decision will be made, unfortunately for Pierre Sage. I think Palace will have a new manager the next time they play in the Premier League.”

That next game is at Coventry City on 21 November, after the international break. Palace also sit 21st in the Europa League table, inside the play-off places, with one win from four, so whoever takes over will have two competitions to sort out, as their late draw with Hoffenheim showed.

Verdict: the timing makes sense for Palace

Sacking a manager after 16 games is never a good look, and Sage has had genuine bad luck with injuries and unhappy players. But the international break is the only proper window to bring someone in before a run of games, and Palace cannot afford to drift.

Frank knows the league, knows how to build a side that is hard to beat, and would have two weeks on the training ground before Coventry. After what happened at Spurs, it would be a big chance for him to rebuild his reputation in south London, and Palace badly need the points.