Pierre Sage is facing his first true trial of faith as Crystal Palace manager, and the timing could hardly be more chaotic.
With the summer transfer window entering its final, frantic few days, the Eagles find themselves in the eye of a storm. Liverpool have formally knocked on the door at Selhurst Park, submitting an opening offer of £50 million for Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr.
Having walked away from Brighton’s eye-watering £80m valuation of Yankuba Minteh, Anfield officials have pivoted swiftly to the 28-year-old, whose stock has never been higher following a blistering 21-goal campaign that helped deliver Conference League silverware to South London.
Sarr, for his part, is understood to be desperate to leave. While Galatasaray have already seen two bids turned down, the lure of Liverpool represents the kind of career leap players rarely turn down twice. Personal terms will not be an obstacle; the onus now falls squarely on Palace chairman Steve Parish to decide whether to hold the line or cash in.
Injury blows and managerial diplomacy
The situation is further complicated by Sarr’s absence on the pitch. Having missed the opening day trip to Everton, the forward remains sidelined with a groin issue ahead of Friday night’s daunting clash with Manchester City. Sage, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon, was forced to play diplomat when quizzed on whether Sarr’s physical ailment was conveniently timed.
“He is under contract, as I told you,” the former Lyon boss insisted. “He’s injured and, maybe you can make a link between his injury and the situation, but for me, he’s honest, and I have no problem with that.
“We’ll prepare him he needs time. I thought it would be quicker, but I am not medical staff. That’s why I wait for him, and we’ll prepare him to come back with us.”
Sage accepted that the background noise is inevitable, particularly with interest also brewing from Saudi Arabia alongside Liverpool and Galatasaray.
“You know, football is like this now,” Sage added. “When it’s a transfer window there’s a lot of noise for the player. Maybe some of them are not really comfortable with this situation. That’s why it’s not a good period when you are inside a club, but when it is finished, we will only be concerned with performance.”
Recruitment drive continues amid Anfield interest
Palace have hardly been idle themselves this summer. The squad has been overhauled with the arrivals of Anan Khalaili, Oscar Mingueza, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Dwight McNeil, and Zavier Gozo, while talks are ongoing to secure Chelsea defender Axel Disasi on loan.
Yet losing Sarr late in the window would leave a seismic hole in Sage’s frontline. Intriguingly, Liverpool’s pursuit of the Senegalese international is treated as an entirely separate endeavor from their ongoing chase for PSG’s Bradley Barcola, suggesting the Reds are intent on an extensive late-window overhaul of their own.
For Palace, the next few days will define their season before it has even properly begun. Pierre Sage wants to keep his star man, but with Anfield calling and £50m on the table, Selhurst Park is preparing for a high-stakes game of poker but they need a replacement first and foremost with less than a week to go.
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