Defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening could spell the premature end of Pierre Sage's reign as Crystal Palace boss, according to a report.
Pressure on the Frenchman was cranked up a notch in Palace's most recent outing as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The loss followed a 5-0 pummelling at the hands of rivals Brighton at the Amex Stadium and the Eagles are currently perched a point outside the relegation zone with seven points from their opening eight matches.
Sage is quickly running out of time to resolve Palace's defensive issues and improve results, and according to The Guardian's Ed Aarons, losing to Tottenham on Saturday could result in his dismissal.
Aarons posted on X: "Understand that Pierre Sage will take charge of Crystal Palace’s games against Fulham and Tottenham this week but is expected be sacked if they lose against Spurs on Saturday."
Palace travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night before making another short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening to encounter Roberto De Zerbi's rejuvenated Spurs.
It's understood Sage retains the support of his squad, but the club's chair Steve Parish has one hand on the axe that he's prepared to wield if there's not a turnaround in results.
Palace have conceded 19 goals in eight games and have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, a stark contrast to the Lens side under Sage's tutelage last term who boasted the second-best defensive record in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain.
Much to Sage's frustration, Palace have been on the receiving end of xG overperformance with Besiktas scoring with both of their two shots on target during the Europa League fixture on Thursday, and Newcastle were also clinical as they scored with both of their two shots on target in the match.
“Inside, we are just really focused on solutions,” Sage said following the Newcastle defeat. “How to be better, how to create the conditions to compete, and we will continue our work. There’s no noise inside, if you want.”
It's believed the Palace hierachy are split on their stance of Sage and the divide in the boardroom will certainly not aid the Frenchman's tenure.
The likes of Rob Edwards, Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche have all been mooted as potential successors if the club decide to pull the plug on Sage.
