Lens name Dino Toppmöller as head coach on two-year deal after Pierre Sage's exit to Crystal Palace

The appointment

RC Lens announced on Tuesday the appointment of German coach Dino Toppmöller, following the departure of Pierre Sage to Premier League side Crystal Palace. The 45-year-old has signed a contract running until 2028. Toppmöller had been out of work since January, when he was dismissed by Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt after a difficult first half of the season.

My style of play is about finding the right balance between technical quality and intensity, and I think that will work very well with our team.

A coach's background

Before his stint as head coach in Frankfurt, Toppmöller served as assistant to Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich. His earlier senior roles included clubs in Luxembourg and Belgium. His father, Klaus Toppmöller, was a West Germany international and later led Bayer Leverkusen to the 2002 Champions League final. The younger Toppmöller cited both his father and José Mourinho as influences on his attacking philosophy.

My father influenced me a lot with his idea of the game, which was to be very attacking and not be scared of anyone. Mourinho inspired me, the way he worked with his players.

Frankfurt highs and lows

Toppmöller's tenure at Eintracht Frankfurt brought notable achievements. In the 2024-25 season he guided the club to a third-place finish in the Bundesliga, securing Champions League qualification, and reached the Europa League quarter-finals. However, a lean period followed, and by the time of his dismissal in January his record for the season stood at nine wins, eight draws, and nine defeats across all competitions. He left with a contract that had originally been set to run until summer 2028.

A successful legacy

The role Toppmöller inherits is a strong one. Under Sage, Lens finished second in Ligue 1 last season, six points behind Paris Saint-Germain, and won the Coupe de France for the first time in the club's history. Those results earned automatic qualification for the Champions League, only the fourth time the northern club has reached Europe's elite competition.

The coaching carousel

The bench at the Stade Bollaert became vacant when Sage asked to be released from his contract in order to replace Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace. Glasner had previously managed Eintracht Frankfurt before Toppmöller's own appointment there. Lens described Toppmöller, a Francophile who conducted his introductory press conference in fluent French, as their preferred candidate to continue the team's upward trajectory.