Pierre Sage has tried to calm the noise around Ismaïla Sarr after a failed Liverpool move, saying the winger needs time after injury and the stress of the transfer window. He also made Palace's position plain: “He is our player and we are happy with that.”
Palace want Sarr to recover first
Sage said Sarr “was and is injured” and needs time to recover. He added that the winger had a “good opportunity” to join Liverpool, but “in the end it didn’t work”.
The case for patience is not hard to see in the numbers. Sarr has only 4 appearances this season, but he has still scored 4 goals in those games, which is a strong return for a player who has barely been available. Palace are dealing with someone whose output has not disappeared, even if his availability has been interrupted.
Sage also said, “If he wants to continue, you have to have a good season with us as he did last year. We know he needs time.” That is the line Palace seem to be taking, and it fits the mood of a club trying to settle a player rather than push him out.
Liverpool have not closed the door
The other side of the story has not gone away. Football Insider says Liverpool could make another move for Sarr in January after failing to agree a deal before the summer deadline.
That interest sits alongside the club's current league position. Liverpool are 14th in the current Premier League table, and squad changes are still in focus. They also kept Cody Gakpo after deciding they could not find a replacement for him, which helps explain why the summer pursuit of Sarr did not get over the line.
Sage, though, is not talking like a coach bracing for a mid-season exit. “I don’t think (he will leave), I don’t think because all the clubs are in their season,” he said. Palace want the storyline to be about recovery and form first, not a fresh round of exit talk in January.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
