Pierre Sage is free to sign wherever he likes after Crystal Palace officially sacked the French boss on Thursday.

That’s opened the door to a potential return to Lens, his former club who are determined to bring him back if they can.

Sage was removed from his position today after a miserable few months a Selhurst Park following his arrival in the summer.

He arrived at the club to replace Oliver Glasner following his departure and did so with a reputation as one of Europe’s hottest coaching prospects. He was the reigning Ligue 1 Manager of the Year after an impressive spell at Lens.

Indeed, his single season at the French club was a historic one as he guided them to their first ever Coupe de France trophy and a second placed finish in Ligue 1.

Crystal Palace failure

He was unable to replicate any of that in his 16 games in charge of Crystal Palace, though. They collected just seven points from their opening 10 league games, recording two wins and four consecutive defeats leading up to his dismissal.

They also hold the worst defensive record in the top flight this season, and have struggled in the Europa League, where they sit 21^st in the 36-team league.

That led to his departure on Thursday, with Crystal Palace announcing what had seemed like an inevitable exit for weeks.

What comes next?

The attention now turns to what comes next. Fabrice Hawkins reports that Sage will receive compensation from the Eagles corresponding to 18 months of salary.

Crucially, the French boss will be ‘free to engage’ wherever he wishes. In other words, his compensation package from Palace will not stop him from taking a new job immediately.

That could be good news for former club Lens. Their president, Joseph Oughourlian, ‘absolutely wants his return’ in the coming weeks. The two men have already spoken about that happening, but no agreement has been reached at this stage.

The French club will move on if they can’t reach a conclusive deal with their former boss. But the lack of restrictions from Crystal Palace certainly means the door is open.