Crystal Palace: Pierre Sage can do to Jorgen Strand Larsen what he did to Odsonne Edouard
Crystal Palace fans will hope that new manager Pierre Sage can have a similar impact with Jorgen Stand Larsen like he did with Odsonne Edouard at Lens.
Sage has officially been appointed Crystal Palace manager on a three-year deal to replace Oliver Glasner, who won the FA Cup, Community Shield, and Europa Conference League during his time at the club.
The 47-year-old though has success of his own at Lens, winning the club their first ever Coupe de France this year with victory over Nice in the final.
A second placed Ligue 1 finish accompanied cup success for Sage in his only full season as manager of Lens.
Sage though arrives at Crystal Palace with issues to solve up-front, with the Eagles set to lose Jean-Philippe Mateta this summer.
The 28-year-old's expected departure will add pressure on the shoulders of Strand Larsen to score the goals next season.
Pierre Sage can revitalise Jorgen Strand Larsen career
Strand Larsen joined Crystal Palace from Wolves in January, but the Norwegian has only scored four goals in 22 appearances for the club.
Sage inherited a similar situation at Lens when he signed Edouard from Crystal Palace, who had only netted 21 goals in four years at Selhurst Park.
Edouard flourished under Sage's management in France, scoring 15 goals in all competitions this season.
Using a 3-4-2-1 system, Sage is set to stick with the same formation which Glasner used during his time at the club, which will help Strand Larsen hit the ground running next season.
Edouard often stayed high up the pitch under Sage, and was not forced to drop deep to create chances, which could help Strand Larsen focus on his finishing inside the penalty area.
On average, Edouard only had five touches per match in the opposition penalty area this season at Lens, but had a strong shot conversion rate of 18.6 per cent.
Strand Larsen had a higher conversion rate of 25.9 per cent during his first season in the Premier League at Wolves, highlighting that the 26-year-old can be a success under Sage.
Sage will need to get the best out of Strand Larsen as former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Crystal Palace risk losing their best players this summer.
What are Crystal Palace's summer transfer plans?
If Mateta does leave then it is likely that Sage will sign a new striker during his first window as Crystal Palace manager.
Crucially, Sage is sure to want to keep the likes of Adam Wharton, Maxcene Lacroix and Ismaila Sarr at the club.
Europa League football next season means Sage will be looking to increase the depth of his squad, something which Glasner was vocal about during his time in south London.
It remains to be seen how heavily backed Sage will be in the transfer market by owner Steve Parish.