Morocco great Jamal Alioui lands Premier League role as Crystal Palace unveil new coaching team

Former Morocco international Jamal Alioui has secured his first coaching role in the Premier League after being appointed to Crystal Palace’s backroom staff ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The Eagles confirmed their revamped technical team on Friday, with French manager Pierre Sage taking charge of the club’s coaching setup.

Alioui joins Sage’s staff as assistant coach alongside Damien Della Santa and Sandy Guichard, while Paddy McCarthy has also been named assistant coach and Andy Quy retains his position as goalkeeping coach.

The appointment marks another chapter in the growing partnership between Alioui and Sage, whose recent collaboration in France delivered impressive results. Their working relationship has flourished over the past two seasons, earning Alioui an opportunity to test himself in one of Europe’s most demanding leagues.

Successful partnership earns Palace opportunity

Alioui arrives in south London following an impressive spell working under Sage at Olympique Lyon during the 2024-25 campaign, where the club produced one of its strongest seasons in recent years.

The coaching duo then continued their success at Lens, guiding the French side to Coupe de France glory in the 2025-26 season while also finishing runners-up in Ligue 1. Those achievements have now paved the way for both men to begin a new challenge at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace’s decision to bring in the pair reflects the club’s confidence in a coaching partnership that has consistently delivered results in French football.

Steady rise from grassroots to Premier League

Alioui’s coaching journey began in 2017 when he took up an assistant coaching role with French side Misérieux-Trévoux. He later gained managerial experience with Bron and Vaulx-en-Velin before joining Morocco’s Under-20 national team coaching staff in 2020.

His first senior head coaching position came at GOAL FC during the 2021-22 season, after which he added further experience as an assistant at Nancy and Versailles before reuniting with Sage.

The move to Crystal Palace represents the biggest step of his coaching career and his first opportunity to work in England’s top flight.

From accomplished defender to Premier League coach

Before moving into management, Alioui enjoyed a playing career spanning more than a decade across Europe and the Middle East.

A product of the Olympique Lyon academy, the former defender featured for clubs including Perugia, Catania, Crotone, Metz, Sion, Karabükspor, Wydad Casablanca, Al Kharaitiyat, Nantes and Chasselay.

After retiring from professional football in 2016, he transitioned into coaching, steadily building his reputation through roles at club and international level.

His arrival at Crystal Palace is another landmark moment for Moroccan football, with the former Atlas Lions defender now set to bring his growing coaching pedigree to the Premier League as part of Sage’s new-look technical team for the 2026-27 campaign.