He is one of the disappointments of the 2023/2024 version of Olympique de Marseille. If he was not catastrophic and knew how to contribute at times, Ismaïla Sarr showed irregularity in a sick squad and ended the season with 5 goals and 6 offerings in 35 matches. Capable of doing better, the former Watford player was finally asked to go English following the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi on the Marseille bench. Recruited for 13 million euros by the Olympians, he was sold a year later to Crystal Palace for 15 million euros. And the beginnings were not easy for him.
Stuck at the bottom of the table like a sick team which waited until the 9th day to finally win, Ismaïla Sarr appeared only in a substitute role. Not necessarily comfortable on his first outings, the Senegalese international (64 caps, 13 goals) was even announced by AC Milan as a possible winter departure. However, the situation has changed significantly in recent weeks. Interesting against Tottenham (1-0) during the Eagles’ first victory in the Premier League, he has not been out of the London squad since. The match against Aston Villa (2-2) on November 23 even served as a trigger since he scored his first goal and delivered an offering.
Ismaïla Sarr is gaining momentum
Better and better under the orders of Oliver Glasner, Ismaïla Sarr appreciates the way the Austrian coach operates. From the start, he didn’t want to force things. Since I didn’t do preseason with the team, he wanted me to feel good physically. He prepared me for this. Physically, he helped me a lot. He also helped me in the field: “how to position myself, how to lose marking, how to make deep runs… and also finishing. When I do things wrong, he tells me what I should have done. I need a coach who corrects me when I do something, because I need it. I think he does it well. I thank him for that, declared the former Stade Rennais player.»
comfortable in a team of French speakers where we find Cheick Doucouré, Maxence Lacrois or even Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaïla Sarr continues to gain strength and demonstrated it this Sunday against Brighton. In a match against a top team, Ismaïla Sarr totally burst the screen. First a passer on Trevoh Chalobah’s goal, he then doubled the lead on a cross from Tyrick Mitchell which he headed home victoriously. Finally, he opportunistically scored a double at the end of the match, taking advantage of a deflection from Eddie Nketiah. A full match for the Senegalese in a great 3-1 victory.
Enough to receive the praise of his coach Oliver Glasner: “he is different. We knew we couldn’t replace Michael Olise in the same way, because he has his own profile and his own qualities. Ismaila is a sprinter with a lot of speed. We knew that if we put him in the right areas at the right time, he would have opportunities to score goals. I don’t think it was his best performance. He had fantastic performances in other matches. He always had a very positive impact at the start of the season as a substitute, so he could also make six or seven assists. Sometimes we missed opportunities. He’s getting better and better. But now is not the time for him to relax. He shows why we signed him and he deserves all the credit.» A great revenge for Ismaïla Sarr who was able to revitalize her second English adventure.
