A year and then he’s gone. Recruited last summer by Olympique de Marseille, Ismaïla Sarr (26 years old) is officially leaving the Phocaean city, as we recently revealed to you. Irregular in the south of France, the Senegalese international (64 caps, 13 goals) will not leave an unforgettable memory with the Olympians supporters, despite a record of 5 goals scored and 6 offerings in 35 matches in all competitions during the previous season.
“Good luck Ismaïla Sarr. The Senegalese winger is leaving Olympique de Marseille and signing with Crystal Palace FC.”specifies the press release from the Marseille team to make the news official. Determined to trim its squad after the arrivals of Ismaël Koné (Watford), Lilian Brassier (Brest), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), OM will recover a little over 15 million euros (15 M€ + 1M€ linked to bonuses).
A contrasting experience
Renowned for his explosiveness and his striking qualities, the Saint-Louis native is therefore preparing to discover a new challenge with the Eagles, 10th in the last Premier League season. The main player concerned will, moreover, return to English soil where he played between 2019 and 2023 with the Hornets and thus imitate his former Marseille teammate, Iliman Ndiaye, who also opted for a return across the Channel.
Palace’s third summer signing after Chadi Riad and Daichi Kamada, Ismaïla Sarr, who has played for Metz and Rennes, is hoping to give his career a new lease of life, having never really convinced in the Marseille jersey, despite a slightly more consistent second half of last season under the leadership of Jean-Louis Gasset. For its part, OM is making a fresh start after those of Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Al Qadisiyah), Konrad De la Fuente (Lausanne) and Jonathan Clauss (Nice). It still remains to find exit doors for Samuel Gigot, Jordan Veretout, Pau Lopez, Chancel Mbemba and Ulisses Garcia…
