What Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage has said about Sunderland and Eagles target previously after Lyon stint
Crystal Palace and Sunderland have been linked with a transfer deadline day move for Lyon winger Malick Fofana.
Crystal Palace are working to hijack Sunderland’s move for Lyon winger Malick Fofana with just hours remaining in the summer transfer window.
The Black Cats appeared to have moved close to landing the Belgium international when they made an offer believed to be worth around £30m on Tuesday morning - but Palace have now reportedly made their own move to land Fofana as the clock ticks down towards tonight’s 11pm deadline.
The Eagles may well feel they have an advantage over Sunderland after Fofana scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 48 appearances under current Palace boss Pierre Sage during his time in charge of Lyon. He was named as head coach of the Ligue 1 side in November 2023 and led them to the Coupe de France final at the end of the same season before departing in January last year. Sage praised Fofana throughout his time at Lyon as the youngster forged a fine reputation for himself in France - but just what did the Palace boss say about the winger as Sunderland battle his current employers for the winger’s signature?
‘I truly believe he has a bright future ahead’ - Pierre Sage on Malick Fofana
Speaking back in September 2024, the current Palace boss said of the winger: “I see him as a player with a very high level of skill, and he’s currently getting ready to reach that. I really think the next step for him is to start matches and keep up his performance. Once he’s played a few good games and we see the same level of impact as when he comes off the bench, we can confidently say he’s got that down. From there, he can keep building on that momentum. I truly believe he has a bright future ahead.”
Just over a month later, he said: “He [Fofana] plays the game. A fairly complete player, comfortable in different phases of play. When he needs to cross, he crosses. When he needs to shoot, he shoots. When you respect the game, the game respects you in return, and so do your teammates. He’s a player with top-level potential.”