Who is in charge at Crystal Palace? Sage is gone, and Frank is only reported

The rest of the statement thanks Sage and his staff for their work in South London and wishes them well. It ends with a promise that "an update on the process of appointing a new manager will be provided in due course." No date is given. The three coaches who left had all been named in the backroom team the club announced in July. That announcement also listed an assistant, Paddy McCarthy, and a goalkeeping coach, Andy Quy. None of the reports we have seen says whether either of them is still at the club, so we don't know who has been left to run the first team.⁠1⁠18⁠19

The case against Sage is simple. He won five of his 16 games in all competitions. In the league Palace won two of their first ten matches and have lost the last four. Their 24 league goals conceded is the worst defensive record in the division. In the Europa League they are 21st of 36, with one win from four matches. They have not won a league game since 11 October. The losing run started with a 5-0 defeat by their fierce rivals Brighton. Afterwards Sage said he felt "shame" and admitted he did not know whether he would be given time to turn things round.⁠1

Three more defeats followed. The last was a 3-1 home loss to Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Sunday 8 November. Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak scored for Liverpool. Palace hit the bar and had a goal ruled out, but still ended the weekend bottom of the table. That was the last game Sage took charge of.⁠10⁠1

The sympathy ran out after three more defeats. Sage also had a very high bar to clear. His predecessor, Oliver Glasner, won Palace their first FA Cup and the Europa Conference League before leaving at the end of last season. He now manages Nottingham Forest. Sage, a 47-year-old Frenchman, arrived from Lens, where he finished second in Ligue 1 and won the club's first French Cup in its 120-year history. He signed a three-year contract. The player database Transfermarkt lists it as running to 30 June 2029. Palace now have to settle that deal. Two days before the sacking, The Guardian reported that Palace could avoid paying significant compensation if Sage went back to Lens. Nothing we have seen confirms that he will.⁠1⁠3⁠8⁠6

Sage is the second Premier League manager sacked this season. Manchester United dismissed Michael Carrick a few hours earlier on Thursday.⁠1⁠5

The most likely answer to who takes over is Thomas Frank, the former Brentford and Tottenham manager. Reports differ on how close he is. BBC Sport says he is in advanced talks, and Sports Mole uses the same phrase. Sky Sports says Palace are working to bring him in. Football London calls him the frontrunner. Yahoo Sports goes furthest: it reported that Palace had reached an agreement with Frank, about two hours before the BBC's advanced-talks story appeared. The Independent says bookmakers have suspended betting on him as the next manager. Frank was already being linked with the job four days earlier: on 8 November, BBC Sport listed him among the contenders.⁠1⁠13⁠16⁠2⁠17⁠15⁠5⁠11

None of this is confirmed. Only Yahoo reports a deal as agreed, and the club's statement doesn't mention a successor. No outlet has reported how long a contract Frank would get. For now Frank is the frontrunner, not the manager.⁠12⁠15

It is fair to ask whether he is the right choice. Tottenham sacked Frank in February after just under eight months in charge. He left Spurs 16th, five points above the relegation zone, after eight league games without a win. Palace have just sacked a manager after ten league games. Their likely replacement lost his last job after a run of results much like Sage's. Frank built his reputation at Brentford, and Palace seem to be betting on that record more than on his time at Tottenham. Palace haven't explained their thinking. If they do appoint him, they should be asked to.⁠1

The international break gives Palace a little time. They have no league game until they go to Coventry, so there is room to appoint someone without a match coming first. But the reports are moving faster than the club. Yahoo Sports says an agreement has been reached, while Palace have only promised an update in due course. That gap is likely to close within days.⁠15⁠12