Crystal Palace 2026-27: Can Pierre Sage follow Oliver Glasner’s lead? | OneFootball

Crystal Palace begin under Pierre Sage, tasked with following Oliver Glasner’s two-and-a-half-year success. Styles are similar, so upheaval should be limited, though change will bring tests as well as chances.

NY Times reports that last season’s UEFA Conference League win puts Palace in the Europa League, adding at least eight more games. The new era starts at Everton on Saturday, with focus on how quickly they adapt.

Free agents Oscar Mingueza and Takehiro Tomiyasu boost defensive versatility, Dwight McNeil arrived in a swap with Brennan Johnson going the other way, and Evann Guessand returned on loan.

Anan Khalaili joined from Union Saint-Gilloise for £21m, a move that could open the door for Daniel Munoz to leave. Zavier Gozo signed from Real Salt Lake for £11m as a No 10. A centre-back is still needed after Maxence Lacroix joined Chelsea for £52m and Marc Guehi left in January.

Signings largely address last season’s lack of depth and only one regular starter has departed. Pre-season was underwhelming, though Matheus Franca scored four, including a hat-trick in a 5-1 win at Swindon and a 2-1 winner against Fulham.

After a 3-0 loss to Freiburg in the final friendly, Sage said the side are not ready yet, need more sessions and must reduce the gap to rivals.

Benchmarks are modest, bettering 15th in the league and reaching Europa League knockouts. A poor start could test his position, while a 12th-place finish would not be a surprise.

Source: NY Times

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”