Crystal Palace have sacked manager Pierre Sage after a dismal start to the season which has left the club bottom of the Premier League table with just 7 points from their opening ten games. 

Sage had been under pressure for some time, and the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool on the eve of the second international break of the season proved to be the tipping point for the Frenchman.

Whilst Thomas Frank has been tipped as the front runner for the role, there are a number of other options that Palace are reportedly considering. Eddie Howe reportedly turned down a recent approach from Palace, so there are four managers we’re going to focus on. 

Frank is the leading contender to replace Sage, and many outlets are suggesting that a deal has already been agreed with the Dane, who left Tottenham Hotspur in February. 

Frank boasts a 44% win rate across his career, and is most famed for his contribution in establishing Brentford as a Premier League side. There are question marks over how much that was down to Frank and how much it was down to how well run Brentford are as a club, with Kieth Andrews, Frank’s set piece coach taking over after he left for Spurs and if anything, doing even better with the club.

Frank favours a 4-3-3 formation, but demonstrated a tendency to lean towards a back five, especially when playing against sides in the traditional ‘big six’, winning at least once against every one of those sides he faced. 

Supposedly, Frank would come in with promises of investment in the January window, which is much needed to bolster the playing squad in South London. 

Dyche appears to be the most pragmatic of the options Palace are considering. He’s well known in the English game for building robust, hard to beat sides and has had success when it comes to fighting relegation. 

Dyche spent a decade at Burnley, where he steered the club to a remarkable 7th placed finish, qualifying for the Europa League, but they were knocked out in the play off round by Olympiacos so didn’t reach the group stage. 

Dyche has always favoured a traditional 4-4-2 formation, and his win percentage across his managerial career is just 35%, although he’s managed a staggering 582 games. 

Dyche’s most recent role was at Nottingham Forest, but was sacked after just 25 games in charge amidst fears the club could go down. Dyche was backed heavily at Forest, inheriting an expensive squad but failed to get things working. 

Berthel Askou is a former Danish central defender who has had five managerial roles since 2019. He’s currently the manager of Toulouse in France, who he joined after leaving Motherwell for a compensation fee. 

He also boasts a 44% win rate. His preferred formation is a 4-2-3-1, so it would be a big change for Palace having favoured a back five across the last three seasons. 

At Motherwell, he achieved the club’s best league finish in a decade, coming fourth in the Scottish Premiership. 

In that time, they beat Celtic for the first time in over ten years and also beat Rangers at Ibrox. They also set a club record for clean sheets, showing how his defensive approach to management does result in strong performances. Their league finish also earned them a place in European football.

At Toulouse this season, his side currently sit 12th, having won three, drawn four and lost three, scoring 15 whilst conceding 14. Palace would have to pay a compensation fee for him if they were to proceed with him as an option.

Werner is a 38-year-old German manager who predominantly deploys a 3-5-2 formation, so there wouldn’t be much change in terms of shape at Palace. 

He began his managerial career with Holstein Kiel after managing their under-23 side over 100 times. Initially stepping into the first team role as an interim, he was awarded the job full time and led the side for two seasons, and whilst he didn’t get them promoted to the Bundesliga, he did achieve a play-off spot and also beat Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal during his time with the club. 

He then resigned after a difficult run of results, despite Kiel’s Sporting Director attempting to persuade him to stay. He joined Werder Bremen, where he really made his name in German football. 

He won promotion in his first season with Bremen, which was followed by a 14th placed finish, and then a 9th placed finish the following season. 

In the 2024/25 season, they finished 8th and narrowly missed out on a European spot. Werner decided to leave the club due to frustrations with their transfer and scouting policies.

From there, he joined RB Leipzig, where he managed for just one season. He finished third, 24 points behind Champions Bayern Munich, and despite playing a key role in stabalising the club after a number of high profile departures, Werner was sacked, with the club aiming for a change in approach. 

Jürgen Klopp, who was the head of global soccer at Red Bull, praised Werner’s efforts, and the sacking was not results based at all, which is strange. 

Across his managerial career, Werner boasts a 50% win rate, victorious in 201 games, losing 118 and drawing 85.