- Palace’s Sage links continue
- Rayan Cherki on former manager
- Sage a perfect fit for Palace
Sage led Lens to Coupe De France glory, as well as finishing second place in Ligue 1.
Prior to his current post at Lens, Sage was the interim manager at Olympique Lyonnais, and managed Manchester City superstar Rayan Cherki.
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Cherki on ‘trust’ for Sage
Cherki left Lyon to join Pep Guardiola and co in Manchester, for a fee in the region of £30 million.
The Lyon academy graduate played under Sage during his time in charge, and shared some positive thoughts on the French manager.
“The coach bought back the serenity we needed so much,” Cherki explained.
“He knows how to talk to players, he understands how we feel.”
Continuity is going to be a huge aim for Palace as they replace Glasner, who had such a strong relationship with the players at his disposal.
“With him [Sage] there’s no pretending. He gives us freedom while establishing a very clear framework,” Cherki continued, speaking to L’Equipe.
“He knows how to push my buttons, he knows how to talk to me and get the best out of me.”
Cherki is known for his flair and free-flowing style of play, and has also been criticised for his attitude at times.
It appears that Sage is an excellent people person, and would be able to get the best out of the Palace squad.
“He gives me the keys to create on the pitch, but he also reminds me of my defensive duties. It is a relationship based on an indispensable mutual trust.”
Is Sage too good to be true?
Not only does Sage come across as an excellent man manager, but stylistically, he is extremely similar to Glasner.
His three-at-the-back system has seen Lens achieve unprecedented success in the French league and cups this season, and with a well-built squad with some excellent young players, Sage has shown his ability to execute a gameplan.
Whilst he is seemingly a perfect fit for Palace, there are doubts that the links are 100% factual, and Palace will need to push extremely hard to convince the Frenchman to leave a Lens side who will compete in the Champions League next season.
