Crystal Palace are in advanced negotiations with Thomas Frank today as the club pushes to finalise his appointment as their new manager following the dismissal of Pierre Sage.
With the Premier League side sitting dead bottom of the table on seven points after 10 matches, Palace chairman Steve Parish moved quickly to relieve Sage of his duties yesterday after just 16 games in charge. Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool—coupled with a leaky defence that has shipped a league-high 24 goals, including a 5-0 derby humiliation against Brighton—proved the final straw.
Where the Deal StandsTalks between Palace and Frank’s camp have progressed rapidly over the last 24 hours, with a verbal agreement reportedly in place. Negotiations are focused on finalising contract terms for Frank’s sizeable backroom staff, the primary detail delaying an official announcement at Selhurst Park.
Frank, who has been out of management since leaving Tottenham Hotspur in February, was previously on Palace’s shortlist over the summer before the club opted for Sage to succeed Oliver Glasner. Despite a difficult eight-month stint at Spurs, the 53-year-old Danish tactician’s seven-year body of work at Brentford—where he earned promotion and established the Bees as a competitive top-flight side on a modest budget—has kept his stock high.
Palace briefly weighed up alternatives including Sean Dyche, Vítor Pereira, and Frank Lampard, but Frank emerged as the clear frontrunner. The hierarchy is determined to get the paperwork over the line during the international break so Frank can take training before players return next week.
After losing key centre-backs Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix across the last two transfer windows, Frank’s first order of business will be tightening a porous backline and steering the Eagles away from a relegation scrap.
