The Premier League’s bottom club has made its first managerial change of the season after four straight league defeats.
Crystal Palace have dismissed manager Pierre Sage after only five months in the job, with the South London club sitting bottom of the English Premier League.
The decision follows Sunday's 3-1 loss to Liverpool, a fourth straight league defeat for the team known as the Eagles. Daily Guide Network reports that former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is in advanced talks to take over at Selhurst Park.
The numbers behind the sacking
Palace have won just two of their first 10 league matches. Their defence has been the weakest in the division, shipping 24 goals so far.
Things have not been much better in Europe. The club sits 21st on the 36-team Europa League table, with a single win from four outings.
Coaching staff also out
In a statement, Palace confirmed that three members of Sage's backroom team have left alongside him: Jamal Alioui, Damien Della Santa and Sandy Guichard.
The club said it thanks Sage and his staff "for their efforts during their time in South London, and wish them well for the future," and promised an update on the search for a new manager in due course.
Who is Pierre Sage?
Sage, a 47-year-old Frenchman, signed a three-year contract in June. He arrived with a strong reputation from France, having guided Lens to a second-place finish in Ligue 1, the top French league, and to their first French Cup title in 120 years.
He replaced Oliver Glasner, who left at the end of last season after one of the most successful spells in Palace's recent history. Glasner won the club their first FA Cup and a Europa Conference League title. He is now the manager at Nottingham Forest.
Sage was unable to carry that momentum forward, and the gap between the two records has been difficult for the club's supporters to ignore.
Second Premier League casualty this season
Sage becomes the second top-flight manager in England to lose his job this campaign. Manchester United dismissed Michael Carrick on Thursday.
Why Ghanaian fans are watching
The Premier League remains the most followed football competition in Ghana, in viewing centres across Accra and Kumasi and among Ghanaians in the United States who stay up for weekend fixtures. Managerial changes at a club like Palace shift the relegation picture and the transfer market, both of which matter to fans tracking players with West African links.
For now, the next step is confirmation of Frank's appointment. Palace have said only that an announcement will come when the process is complete, so until the club speaks again, the talks remain talks.