News first broke on Sunday evening that Crystal Palace were planning to part ways with manager Pierre Sage, following a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool which continued the side’s dismal start to the season. 

Whilst Sage is getting sacked and the decision to do so has already been made, the club are yet to officially announce it. 

With the international break underway, it seems like the perfect opportunity to make the change, but what is causing the delay, and what sort of time frame can Palace fans expect a decision to be made in? 

Whenever a football club makes the decision to sack a manager, it’s a costly one. Often, the club will negotiate an exit fee with the manager, and if they stay out of work, they will be paid more by the club. 

Managers essentially waive the right to that compensation if they take up a new job, and so it is common that they stay out of work for some time in order to maximise income. 

Palace would naturally be keen to avoid that, and when news broke earlier this week that Sage’s former club RC Lens had parted ways with manager Yannick Cahuzac, links emerged suggesting that the French side were keen to reunite with the manager who left just months ago. 

Palace had paid Lens a compensation fee in the region of £3-£4 million including potential bonuses to acquire Sage’s services, and if Lens wanted him back they could have struck a deal, but it now transpires that Sage is keen to take some time out of the game following his dismissal from Palace, which means the club will need to fork out a significant package to compensate him for this. 

There are also the additional behind-the-scenes steps that need to be taken to execute the sacking of a manager; lawyers, negotiations, and then further negotiations with the potential successor. It’s not as simple as just waving goodbye to one and opening the door to another. 

The players were also given the first four days of the break off, which means they would be due back on Friday. Despite the difficult start to the season for Palace, a number of players were called up to their national sides and so, until this weekend, there is little rush in terms of bringing Sage’s replacement in. 

Whilst there have been other names touted as potential replacements for Sage, it’s understood that Thomas Frank is the leading contender for the role, and is said to be ‘keen’ to get back into management and prove his worth after the disappointment of his time with Spurs. 

Frank would be a good choice for both the short and long term, and more importantly than anything at the moment, he knows the league. There will be no adaptation period, no delay in adjusting to the demands of Premier League football, things that caused issues for Sage. 

Perhaps reassuring for Palace fans, Frank will only join if he is given certain assurances regarding the January transfer window, which means the club should be forking out to back him properly and bolster the squad which was left short after the summer. 

Official confirmation of Sage’s departure is expected imminently, and the news of the incoming replacement should follow shortly after.