​Pierre Sage has disclosed that he was ready to stay at RC Lens if the club had failed to reach an agreement with Crystal Palace over his departure, countering claims that he forced through a move to the Premier League. In an interview with L’Équipe, the former Lens head coach explained that although Crystal Palace had been his preferred destination, he made it clear to Lens’s hierarchy that he would honour his contract if negotiations collapsed. “When discussions over the transfer compensation really intensified, I told Jean-Louis Leca and Benjamin Parrot, ‘Listen, if it gets blocked, I’ll stay.’ But I think they had taken the period of the three interviews so badly that it was no longer possible for them,” Sage said.
The former Lens manager also pushed back on suggestions that he informed the club of his decision at the last moment. Sage revealed that his final choice only came on 1 June, after the Coupe de France final, even though Crystal Palace had first approached him back in December. He added that Lens had given him ten days to decide, but he communicated his decision almost a week before that deadline expired.