LENS, France (AP) — French club Lens hired Dino Toppmöller as its new coach on Tuesday following Pierre Sage’s departure to Crystal Palace.

Lens said in a statement that the 45-year-old German signed a two-year contract. He previously coached Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.

“The shrewd tactician, Francophile and advocate of the three-man defense commits until 2028,” Lens said.

Toppmöller, who spoke in fluent French at his presentation, was fired by Eintracht in January following a lean spell of results. He led the team into the Champions League after finishing third in the Bundesliga during the 2024-25 season.

His father Klaus Toppmöller was a striker with Kaiserslautern and played three matches for West Germany in the late 1970s. As a coach he then guided unheralded Bayer Leverkusen to the Champions League final in 2002.

“My father influenced me a lot with his idea of the game, which was to be very attacking and not be scared of anyone,” Dino said. “(Jose) Mourinho inspired me, the way he worked with his players. Getting (striker) Samuel Eto’o to play as a full back (for Inter Milan) against Barcelona.”

Sage left Lens in a great position.

The northern club finished second in Ligue 1 to qualify automatically for the Champions League and won the French Cup for the first time.

Sage’s Lens side challenged champion Paris Saint-Germain strongly before dropping off toward the end of the season. ___

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