Crystal Palace’s Pierre Sage rubbishes claims he’s unhappy with summer signings
Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage has dismissed suggestions that he is unhappy with the club’s summer transfer business.
Reports in France indicated that Sage was not satisfied with Palace’s 11 signings in the window, which included four additions on deadline day.
They sold two first-team regulars in Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz, and missed out on Lyon winger Malick Fofana – with whom Sage had worked at the Ligue 1 side and was eager to sign – to Sunderland.
Sage, though, says “the club did a good job” overall.
“I know the French guys said that (I was unhappy),” the manager said in his press conference before Palace’s game against Fulham on Saturday.
“I don’t know why they said that … I will tell you it’s not the case, because in my last press (conference) I said, ‘we need time’. I prefer we take this time to choose good players and I respect all the process, I respect the job of the club and they did a good job.
“That’s why I’m not frustrated (at the current situation).
“I’m always frustrated because I want this player, this player and this player but it’s not possible sometimes and I understand that. We are not a bank (with unlimited funds), we deal with what we have.
“My parents had a restaurant, and I prefer that there’s a lot of (customers), but it was not the case sometimes. We have to deal with that every day, and in football it’s the same.”
He expressed his preference for having early signings and how that had affected their opening two league games — defeats by Manchester City and Everton — but acknowledged the reasons behind deals being concluded late.
Sage explained the signings they made were well thought out, that they had “taken the profile we need”, with Honest Ahanor covering the left sided centre-back role, Quinten Timber offering something different as “a player with more legs (who can) be more box-to-box”. The addition of forward Dario Osorio was because “we need a player with speed in this position and he’s able to shoot from (distance)”.
“He (Osorio) scored a lot of goals like this, two things that will change a little bit our way of playing,” Sage added.
Ben Chilwell, he said, “knew the club and the city. He will give us experience and is able to play wing back and centre-back,” while also providing experience.
There was disappointment, too, that he had been denied the opportunity to reunite with his former player in Fofana.
“We fought a lot and sometimes you can’t fight more but we give our best in the situation and the player chose his career at the other club and I wish him the best because he is a good guy and player,” Sage said.
Sage must, however, contend with two unsettled players in Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr, both of whom were denied moves away. Mateta, he has said previously, is not a disruptive presence despite his dispute with the club, but Sarr will need to “digest” the events of the past week and “needs time” to do so.
The Senegal international continues to be absent with a groin injury but is expected back in training next week.
“The people here are respectful and just want the best for our club and our players,” Sage said, disagreeing with the position of Sarr’s representative, Diomansy Kamara, that they should bend to the will of the player. “It’s a dream for a lot of players to play for this kind of club.”
‘Sage authoritative but measured’
Analysis
Sage barely allowed the question to be completed before instantly responding. He was asked, based on those French reports, if it was correct to say he was disgruntled. Without skipping a beat he quashed the suggestions entirely.
The only slight departure was to concede that he was “always frustrated”, suggesting that there was a slight lingering disappointment, even if overall he was clearly content with the business done. The sense was that he was genuinely regretful that Fofana did not come but was prepared to swiftly move on from it.
His manner is excellent. He is still authoritative but comes across as controlled and measured without being too serious.
That will surely be tested at times but he gave straightforward answers without trying to dance around the Sarr issue, while deftly handling a more awkward question about the “noise” around Mateta every window by joking that the striker is the voice always heard in the dressing room and around the training ground, so he loves the noise.