Dino Toppmöller close to joining Lens to replace Pierre Sage

RC Lens has found its successor to Pierre Sage. According to L’Équipe, Dino Toppmöller is set to join the Artois club, which sent him a contract proposal on Friday following a tour of Lens’s facilities.

The 45-year-old German has been free since leaving Eintracht Frankfurt last January. Sporting director Jean-Louis Leca and general manager Benjamin Parrot were reportedly won over by his profile, to the point that the track leading to Olivier Pantaloni has cooled considerably.

Lens is not alone in the race, however: OGC Nice, Feyenoord and AC Milan remain in contention. No official announcement has yet been made, but the progress of discussions puts the Pas-de-Calais club in a strong position.

Toppmöller boasts a solid CV at this level. He served as assistant coach to Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich between July 2021 and March 2023, before taking charge of Frankfurt. Among the players he developed in Hesse are Willian Pacho, Randal Kolo Muani, Hugo Ekitike and Omar Marmoush, all of whom have become reference points on the European stage.

His arrival at Lens comes in the context of a double shift on the bench: Pierre Sage, who managed the Sang et Or, is expected to take over from Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace in the Premier League.