Ismaila Sarr Injury Update: Crystal Palace Boss Expects Winger to Stay
Pierre Sage expects Ismaila Sarr to stay at Crystal Palace despite Liverpool’s move for the winger – and insists any absence is down to injury, not agitation.
Sarr, 28, sat out Palace’s Premier League opener against Everton and will also miss Friday night’s visit of Manchester City, with the new Eagles head coach revealing a groin problem is keeping the Senegal international out of full training.
Liverpool have made an approach for Sarr, while Galatasaray have already seen two bids rejected, but Sage was clear when asked if he believed the forward would remain at Selhurst Park.
“For the moment, yeah,” he said. “Because when you have three years on the contract, it is not easy to leave.”
The Palace boss pushed back at suggestions Sarr is refusing to train in an effort to force a move. He painted a very different picture: a player in pain, working alone, and waiting.
“Ismaila Sarr is injured. He is in pain with his groin – that’s why you didn’t see him with us today,” Sage explained. “He is in individual training because he is really in pain with his groin. But we’ll prepare him, he needs time.
“I thought it would be quicker, but I am not a doctor. That is why I wait for him and we prepare for him to come back with us. No chance he plays against City.”
Behind the scenes, Sage has spent the week talking directly with Sarr, who still has three years left on his deal. The coach admits he feels for a player whose name is suddenly swirling around the market.
“I understand that for everybody to have this kind of contact is difficult, because you hesitate a lot. But for the moment, he is with us. He is under contract,” Sage said.
“He is injured and maybe you can make a link between his injury and the situation. But for me, he is honest and I have no problem with that. I spoke with him this morning about that, yesterday about that, too. And we just want him on the pitch.”
The noise around Sarr has grown since Liverpool’s interest emerged. For a player, that kind of link changes the temperature of a summer instantly.
“It’s always difficult for a player when your name is associated with a club like Liverpool,” Sage admitted.
The Frenchman, though, is determined to keep the focus inside the treatment room, not the boardroom.
“All the rest is for the other people. Football is like this now, we know when it is the transfer window that there is a lot of noise, a lot of stuff for the player,” he said. “Maybe some of them are not really comfortable with this situation – and their agent, too, their family. That’s why it is not really a good period when you are inside in a club, but you know when it is finished we will only be concerned with our performances. We just have to wait for that.
“For the moment, the most important thing is to understand the player is not able to play and is in treatment, and what happens with his potential future is really far from me.”
Liverpool’s interest lingers, Galatasaray are still in the background, and the window clock keeps ticking. For now, Crystal Palace are betting that a sore groin and a long contract will keep one of their key attacking threats exactly where he is.
