- Jamal Alioui will join Pierre Sage at Crystal Palace
- Moroccan a key voice in Sage backroom team
- Eagles will have new management
Pierre Sage has agreed to succeed Oliver Glasner as Crystal Palace manager and he will reportedly be bringing Jamal Alioui with him. The French coach is set to take the reins at Selhurst Park on a deal lasting until 2029.
According to L’Equipe, Alioui is also joining Palace and will continue to support Sage as part of his backroom team. He has worked alongside the Frenchman at Lens and Lyon in Ligue 1.
So, who is the Eagles’ new assistant coach, and what can fans expect from him?
Jamal Alioui background
Jamal Alioui is no stranger to management himself, having previously been in charge of French minnows AS Bron, GOAL FC and Bourges Foot 18. He is known in his homeland due to his tenure as Morocco U20 coach.
The 44-year-old spent his playing career as a right-back, which included spells at Metz and Nantes. He linked up with Sage at Lyon back in January 2024, helping the French tactician guide the Ligue 1 giants out of a relegation battle and secure a sixth-placed finish.
Alioui followed Sage to Lens where the pair enjoyed incredible success this past season. Together, they guided the French club to a second-placed finish in the league and won the Coupe de France.
Alioui and Sage’s ‘fire and ice’ relationship
French media give an interesting take on Sage and Alioui, claiming they aren’t afraid to challenge one another but share the same vision. A confidant told OffsAide that while Sage makes the final calls, Alioui “runs sessions and supplies the intensity demanded by Sage’s tactical periodisation.”
Their connection is described as “fire and ice” and players particularly take to the Moroccan. Former Palace striker Odsonne Edouard has previously credited him with giving the Lens squad “daily voice and energy that the squad try to reproduce on the pitch.”
It bodes well for the Eagles, who aren’t just bidding farewell to the greatest manager in the club’s history. They are also losing his brilliant coaching staff, who played a tremendous role in winning three major trophies.
