Two Premier League managers lost their jobs within hours of each other on November 12. The coincidence set off the obvious parlour game on talkSPORT: could Michael Carrick, just dismissed at Old Trafford, walk straight into the Crystal Palace vacancy left by Pierre Sage?
That was the pitch on the station’s Fiery Fridays podcast. It was not the plan at Selhurst Park.
The talkSPORT argument for Carrick
Journalist Angelina Kelly argued on the show that Palace, rather than United, would suit Carrick’s development, with the pressure dialled down and a capable squad to inherit.
“He’s a promising English manager who obviously has the ability to succeed. Why wouldn’t Crystal Palace be the answer?” Kelly asked, according to Croatian outlet Sportnet, which carried the exchange.
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Fellow panelist Adrian Durham pushed back on the same show. He called a Palace move “very risky” and warned that a relegation at Selhurst Park “could be the end of his managerial career”, pointing to Carrick’s lack of experience of bottom-half fights.
Palace are courting Thomas Frank
Palace’s own search is pointing in a different direction. The club confirmed the dismissal of Sage on November 12 with the Eagles rock bottom of the Premier League on two wins from 10 matches and carrying the division’s worst defensive record at 24 goals conceded.
Several recent reports have Palace in advanced talks with Thomas Frank, the former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur manager. The hold-up concerns agreements for his backroom staff, according to Football Insider via CaughtOffside.
Frank was Palace’s preferred choice in the summer before Sage was appointed in June. Once a deal is finalised, he is expected to take charge for the trip to Coventry City in just over a week.
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Why Carrick is on the market
Manchester United dismissed Carrick on November 12 after a late home draw with Aston Villa left them 18th in the table on eight points, the club’s worst start to a Premier League season in 40 years, United said in their official statement.
He had taken charge of 15 matches in all competitions this season for three wins. Mauricio Pochettino is set to take over after the international break on a deal running until the summer of 2029.
The club called Carrick a “club legend” whose leadership during last season’s third-placed finish and Champions League qualification would be “fondly remembered”.
Where the market actually places him
No club has publicly made a formal approach. British bookmakers listed Celtic as the early 12/1 favourites for Carrick’s next job, with Palace at 16/1, Newcastle United and Sunderland at 18/1, and Wrexham at 20/1 in odds published on November 10, two days before his sacking was confirmed.
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