Lens boss Sage reveals contact from other clubs after lifting Coupe de France

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ShareLens defeated Nice to cap a wonderful season with the Coupe de France trophy on Friday, but their head coach Pierre Sage is in demand.Lens boss Pierre Sage admitted he has been contacted by several clubs interested in his services, after leading them to their first-ever Coupe de France triumph on Friday.Having finished as runners-up in France's domestic cup in 1947-48, 1974-75 and 1997-98, Lens defeated Nice 3-1 in this season's final at the Stade de France.Florian Thauvin, Odsonne Edouard and Abdallah Sima were on target for this season's second-placed Ligue 1 finishers, as they lifted their first major trophy since they were crowned French champions 28 years ago.Sage's positive work with Lens, who finished eighth prior to his arrival last year, has earned him plenty of admiration.But, at least for the time being, he appears content at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.Asked about his contract situation by France Televisions after Friday's game, Sage said: "There is no reason for it to change. I must admit that there are a lot of contacts."But after that, I'm under contract, but I'm going to try to honour it. I'm very happy at this club." On Lens' victory, he added: "Winning this cup is the culmination of a magnificent year."We could have expected even more, but in any case, the good thing is that now we know we can be ambitious."With both Lens and Lyon in the Coupe de France, Sage has overseen 14 matches, recording 12 wins and only two defeats, versus Paris Saint-Germain in the 2023-24 final and Bourgoin-Jallieu in the 2024-25 round of 32 (both with Lyon).Lens have also won 68% of their matches across all competitions this season (27/40), their most in any campaign since the Second World War.Having registered a goal and an assist in the final, Thauvin has been involved in 16 goals across all competitions since the start of February (nine goals, seven assists). No French player from Europe's top five leagues has fared better in that period. And the winger, who was omitted from Didier Deschamps' World Cup squad earlier this week, said of the victory: "It's historic, extraordinary. We had a remarkable season. "We were keen to make history for the club. To do that, we had to win a trophy, and that's what we managed to do. "The supporters came to create a fiery atmosphere. We wanted to bring the cup home at all costs."There is never an easy match. We won but Nice put us in difficulty. I will give my support to Nice. We wish them a good end to the season. "I feel proud. We managed to make people proud. Everyone has put in their qualities, it's as a team that you win a trophy."While Lens' season is over, Nice must now face Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1's promotion-relegation play-off, having finished 16th in the French top flight. Lens defeated Nice to cap a wonderful season with the Coupe de France trophy on Friday, but their head coach Pierre Sage is in demand.Lens boss Pierre Sage admitted he has been contacted by several clubs interested in his services, after leading them to their first-ever Coupe de France triumph on Friday.Having finished as runners-up in France's domestic cup in 1947-48, 1974-75 and 1997-98, Lens defeated Nice 3-1 in this season's final at the Stade de France.Florian Thauvin, Odsonne Edouard and Abdallah Sima were on target for this season's second-placed Ligue 1 finishers, as they lifted their first major trophy since they were crowned French champions 28 years ago.Sage's positive work with Lens, who finished eighth prior to his arrival last year, has earned him plenty of admiration.But, at least for the time being, he appears content at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.Asked about his contract situation by France Televisions after Friday's game, Sage said: "There is no reason for it to change. I must admit that there are a lot of contacts."But after that, I'm under contract, but I'm going to try to honour it. I'm very happy at this club." On Lens' victory, he added: "Winning this cup is the culmination of a magnificent year."We could have expected even more, but in any case, the good thing is that now we know we can be ambitious."With both Lens and Lyon in the Coupe de France, Sage has overseen 14 matches, recording 12 wins and only two defeats, versus Paris Saint-Germain in the 2023-24 final and Bourgoin-Jallieu in the 2024-25 round of 32 (both with Lyon).Lens have also won 68% of their matches across all competitions this season (27/40), their most in any campaign since the Second World War.Having registered a goal and an assist in the final, Thauvin has been involved in 16 goals across all competitions since the start of February (nine goals, seven assists). No French player from Europe's top five leagues has fared better in that period. And the winger, who was omitted from Didier Deschamps' World Cup squad earlier this week, said of the victory: "It's historic, extraordinary. We had a remarkable season. "We were keen to make history for the club. To do that, we had to win a trophy, and that's what we managed to do. "The supporters came to create a fiery atmosphere. We wanted to bring the cup home at all costs."There is never an easy match. We won but Nice put us in difficulty. I will give my support to Nice. We wish them a good end to the season. "I feel proud. We managed to make people proud. Everyone has put in their qualities, it's as a team that you win a trophy."While Lens' season is over, Nice must now face Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1's promotion-relegation play-off, having finished 16th in the French top flight.