LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 29, 2025: Crystal Palace's Ismaïla Sarr (L) celebrates with team-mate Yeremy Pino after scoring the first goal during the Football League Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. Palace won 3-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 29, 2025: Crystal Palace's Ismaïla Sarr (L) celebrates with team-mate Yeremy Pino after scoring the first goal during the Football League Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. Palace won 3-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Ismaila Sarr “needs time” to get over his failed move to Liverpool, admits Crystal Palace head coach Pierre Sage, who described it as a “dream” for the winger.
Sarr was a concrete target for Liverpool late in the transfer window as they scrabbled for options to replace the Man City-bound Cody Gakpo.
But ultimately it was decided that, with the fees quoted for Sarr and Brighton‘s Yankuba Minteh too high, the club would instead keep Gakpo.
That let two players down, with Sarr setting his heart on Anfield and Gakpo having agreed terms on an £80 million move to the Etihad.
Speaking in his press conference on Thursday, Sage admitted it had been a “dream” for his right winger.
“Like every bad situation, time does the job. We need time for that, he needs time too,” he told reporters.
“First of all, he needs to recover, because he was and is injured. It doesn’t change, he’s our player and we are happy with that.
“He has to digest [it], for sure. It’s a dream for a lot of players to play for this kind of club.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 29, 2025: Crystal Palace's Ismaïla Sarr celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Football League Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. Palace won 3-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 29, 2025: Crystal Palace's Ismaïla Sarr celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Football League Cup 4th Round match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. Palace won 3-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“He had a good opportunity, but in the end it didn’t work and he has to do it like this.
“If he wants to continue in the years, he has to give a good season with us, to perform with us and to score a lot of goals, as he did last year.
“But we know and you know that he needs time.”
Will Liverpool return for Ismaila Sarr in the future?
Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr celebrates with the trophy after victory over Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Europa Conference League Final at the Red Bull Arena, Leipzig. Picture date: Wednesday May 27, 2026.
Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr celebrates with the trophy after victory over Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Europa Conference League Final at the Red Bull Arena, Leipzig. Picture date: Wednesday May 27, 2026.
Sarr has been named in Palace’s squad for the Europa League‘s league phase and Sage now doubts he will be available for a transfer mid-season.
The likelihood is that Liverpool will not return for the 28-year-old either way, with Gakpo staying and alternative targets to be assessed in the coming transfer windows.
Neither Sarr nor Minteh resembled the ideal solution on the right, particularly as replacements for one of the best players in the club’s history in Mohamed Salah.
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Liverpool’s attacking emphasis has shifted following Salah’s exit, with the £123 million signing of left winger Bradley Barcola to complement attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and centre-forward Alexander Isak.
But the expectation is that longer-term targets will now be considered, with Bournemouth‘s Rayan and Real Madrid‘s Rodrygo likely to be on the radar for 2027.
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