Dino Toppmöller appointed Lens manager after Sage's departure to Crystal Palace

RC Lens officially confirmed the arrival of Dino Toppmöller as new manager on Tuesday morning, just hours after Pierre Sage’s departure to Crystal Palace was confirmed. The German has signed a two-year contract with the Artois club.

Toppmöller, 44, is known as a disciple of Julian Nagelsmann, alongside whom he served as assistant at RB Leipzig and then Bayern Munich. Before joining the German elite, he built his head coaching experience in Luxembourg and then at Royal Excelsior Virton in Belgium. His last position leading a first-team squad dates back to Eintracht Frankfurt. Son of former manager Klaus Toppmöller, he himself played only in the German second division and regional leagues.

His mission will be to succeed Pierre Sage, whose record at Lens proved remarkable despite just one season. The former Lyon manager led Lens to their first Coupe de France title in the club’s history and a second-place finish in Ligue 1, behind PSG, securing qualification for the Ligue des Champions. However, this sporting prospect was not enough to keep him from Crystal Palace’s offer, where he succeeds Oliver Glasner.

Lens accepted the transfer of their manager and sent him a public message of thanks. Sage departed alongside his assistant Jamal Alioui. Toppmöller therefore inherits an ambitious squad and a European campaign to prepare, in a context where expectations from Lens supporters remain high following his predecessor’s historic season.