Dan Cook has been speaking on the HLTCO podcast about how he would be excited for Ismaila Sarr to join Crystal Palace.
It has been reported over the last week that Palace do indeed hold an interest in Sarr who is currently experiencing his second season in the Championship, which is quite surprising given his pedigree and attacking output in the Premier League, 16 attacking involvements.
However, the arrival of Sarr could come with a caveat and that may be that Wilfried Zaha may well depart this summer with just one year left on his current contract, so it would be a difficult balancing act to bring in someone younger such as Sarr, or hope Zaha makes a U-turn and signs a new contract before January.
Cook admitted that he would be very excited if Sarr was to turn up at Selhurst Park this summer.
(10:25) “You could argue that, if you look at it completely clinically, allowing Wilfried Zaha to move on and getting Ismaila Sarr as a direct replacement wouldn’t be the worst call in the world at this stage of the window.
Who would you rather have at Palace?
Zaha!
Sarr!
“But at the same time, and I’m not trying to diminish Ismaila Sarr’s ability here, he’s a fantastic footballer, and I will be very, very happy to have him in the squad. I don’t think anyone can be relied upon to make that game-changing difference that Wilfried Zaha does to Crystal Palace week on week.”
TIF Thoughts on Sarr replacing Zaha…
It is a difficult one for Steve Parish and Palace fans as they know Zaha could leave for free next summer and the club wouldn’t get a single penny for his services and talents, but on the other hand, the way he’s started this season he could well help spearhead a solid push towards the top end of the table.
If that does end up happening, then the Ivory Coast international may think twice before leaving Selhurst Park and indeed could sign a new deal, but if he doesn’t have a change of heart, bringing in someone before he actually leaves in the form of Sarr would be a smart piece of business.
Sarr wouldn’t arrive with the same goalscoring pedigree as Zaha, especially over the last few seasons, but according to WhoScored, they possess similar strengths in their game, so perhaps Sarr could indeed develop and grow into the Zaha role that has been so important and influential in SE25 for many years now.