When the line-up dropped on Merseyside for Crystal Palace’s opening game of the Premier League season, cold reality struck the traveling away end. Ismaïla Sarr was nowhere to be seen in the matchday squad. Without their 21-goal talisman leading the line, Pierre Sage’s Premier League debut descended into a deeply frustrating 2-0 defeat to Everton.
Ismaïla Sarr is absent from Palace’s match day squad for the trip to Everton, what’s going on?
Crystal Palace’s Ismaïla Sarr is absent from the matchday squad for the trip to Everton as mounting reports suggest the Senegalese international is pushing for a move to Turkey and Galatasaray.
Suggestions that Sarr skipped training on Thursday gained momentum on Friday with numerous suggestions that his agents were pushing him to go on strike in an attempt to force what would be a lucrative transfer to the Turkish Super Lig.
Whilst reports weren’t concrete, as team news dropped for Pierre Sage’s first Premier League game, Sarr is not listed in the Palace squad. Whilst many fans dismissed the speculation at source, which came from a number of Turkish reporters, those with knowledge of the ongoings at Palace also began to share the same concerns.
It’s important to first state that agents do things like this all the time in an attempt to earn a new contract, but the news that has been coming out has gained momentum, which may have been the plan all along.
Pierre Sage confirmed in his press conference on Thursday that Sarr would feature in this game, and therefore suggestions that he’s collected a ‘knock’ are hard to believe.
Why Galatasaray’s bid for Ismaila Sarr is a cause for concern
Galatasaray have made a bid to sign Ismaila Sarr from Crystal Palace. Fabrizio Romano claims that the Eagles have rejected an opening offer from the Turkish giants, and would only sell the Senegal international in the event of a “really huge” bid – after he scored 21 goals in 45 appearances last season to finish as Crystal Palace’s top scorer.
Many Crystal Palace fans have scoffed at the mere suggestion Sarr could be sold, but clubs don’t tend to make an actual bid unless someone has given them encouragement to do so as football agent James Lippett told Sky Sports in August 2016.
Lippett – an agent for World in Motion told Sky Sports: “The buying club will always want to know they have a chance of doing the deal, otherwise they will look stupid.
The conversation with the agent usually goes: 1) What is the player going to cost? 2) How long is left on their contract? 3) What does the player want to earn? 4) What does he currently earn? and 5) What is their family and personal situation?
“There will normally be three or four bids done very simply by e-mail. The opening bid will be rejected in 99.9% of cases. The second gets closer, and then one or two final bids. It’s like a game of poker.”
James McFadden added to this while in charge of Rangers, when Bordeaux bid for Alfredo Morelos in 2018. He said: “Usually there is a reason these clubs come in.”
Why Crystal Palace would sell Sarr after the 2025/26 campaign he just had, as well as his efforts at the World Cup where he scored four goals in four games, is beyond me.
However, the Eagles have already offered hints this summer that they are willing to action ruthless moves for succession planning if it makes financial sense.
For example, despite being a firm fan favourite and one of the best players at Selhurst Park, Daniel Munoz could be sold this summer after the signing of another right wing-back nine years younger than the 30-year-old Colombian in Anan Khalaili.
With Sarr who Manchester United also like turning 29 in February, the Eagles may have a similar viewpoint and could be willing to cash in for the right price.
Why Crystal Palace cannot afford to lose Sarr
Crystal Palace previously did something similar when offloading Joachim Andersen while his stock was high, bringing Maxence Lacroix in to replace the Dane.
However, I strongly believe that Sarr is impossible to replace with less than two weeks of the transfer window remaining. It would be incredibly cruel on Pierre Sage for Crystal Palace to sell the former Rennes star.
The 19-year-old Zavier Gozo will need time to adapt after arriving from Major League Soccer, and even some of the best forwards on the planet failed to score as many as Sarr’s 21 goals in all competitions last term.
In fact, Igor Thiago and Erling Haaland were the only Premier League players to score more goals across all competitions last season than the Crystal Palace No.7 – which says it all.
Forget Sarr’s age. Forget Squad Cost Ratio rules and balancing financial sheets. When it comes down to actually playing the sport on the pitch, the 2026/27 campaign would become unquestionably more difficult if the 28-year-old left.
A Toothless Display Shows What’s At Stake
For the traveling Palace faithful who made the journey north to Everton, the match itself felt like a grim preview of life without Sarr.
The hierarchy at Selhurst Park must read the room: selling your top scorer with the transfer window closing rapidly is a recipe for disaster. The board must dig their heels in and ensure Sarr stays, or risk rendering this entire campaign a bitter, unnecessary struggle.
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