Transfers in Focus - Ismaila Sarr to Olympique Marseille
Ismaila Sarr has finally got his move away from Watford
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Now that’s all out of the way, let’s get into it….
It’s finally happened, Ismaila Sarr has left Watford.
After years of being linked away from the North London club, the winger has joined Olympique Marseille for around £18m. He will join the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Matteo Guendouzi as the French club embark on their first Champions League group stage appearance in three years.
For a long time, however, it looked like Sarr’s footballing career would be a familiar one.
The best player on an underperforming side experiencing the constant limbo of yo-yo-ing between the Premier League and the Championship; unable to leave due to the security that Watford had due to the broadcast money that the top division provides (Footnote 1, see Wilfried Zaha pre-2020).
Now Sarr is finally free, so what will he offer Marseille both in Ligue 1 and the Champions League and what lessons can we take from his situation?
Let’s get into it.
The most notable thing for many is that Sarr adds pace to Marseille’s front line. His speed off the ball is an incredible asset, but he is also deceptively quick on it as well due to his excellent ball control.
Premier League fans will remember how he would challenge the defender marking him by drawing him in and then bursting past him with a controlled big touch followed by impressive acceleration.
This was something that caught Manchester United’s eye when they were heavily linked with him during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s spell as manager (though the club were priced out of a move).
Directness in the final third is something that Marseille have been lacking in the past and Sarr provides a significant upgrade on Cengiz Under, who could leave the club for Fenerbache this window.
Something that the player can hopefully improve under Marcelino is the timing of his runs. Sarr has the pace to beat defenders easily, but he can be caught offside too regularly. This is something that can be solved with good coaching.
Dig a little deeper however and you find something more striking; despite being a right winger who looks to drive into the box diagonally and score, he is right-footed.
With this configuration, you’d expect that Sarr’s main move would be to drive to the byline then cut the ball across, but due to his good ball control, he can weave in and out of defences and find space for himself in the box. He then often uses his unusual shooting style of hitting across his body to beat the goalkeeper with power.
Despite Sarr having the weapons to threaten the opponent’s goal, his returns must improve. Across the last four seasons in the Premier League and Championship, he has scored 32 in 128, scoring 10 of these last season (alongside 7 assists).
Given that Alexis Sanchez was the only player to hit double figures last season (with 16 goals) and the next highest-scoring player was CB Chancel Mbemba, Marseille definitely needs more outlets.
Sarr will hopefully be able to turn provider as well, especially now that Marseille have lost Dimitri Payet who was their main engine in attacking areas.
According to FBref he only attempts on average 24.55 passes per 90 minutes played and registers 2.81 shot-creating actions, but what should be noted is that last season Watford were a mess.
Watford’s managerial roundabout has become infamous in recent years. Across 12 months, they have appointed four different managers, all with varied ideas of how they want their team to play.
As a player it is impossible to succeed and even harder to develop in these conditions.
One area that can not just be written off as a team issue and therefore Sarr must improve in is defensively. Marcelino is an incredibly demanding coach and he will not accept the Senegalese winger being a passenger; he will have to get back and help out his right back.
So the question becomes, why isn’t the transfer of a player that was as lauded as Sarr was only a few seasons ago, receiving more fanfare?
Well, it’s because he remained at Watford for too long (not of his own volition) and his once bright star began to dim; the raw talent that he showed in his earlier years was never properly developed and nurtured and therefore he did not reach his potential.
Of course, you want clubs that uncover and give these talents a platform in their formative years to be properly compensated, but it seems like too many seek deals which are not realistic; expecting payment for potential that may not be fulfilled.
This is not all about the clubs, the financial side of football has exploded in recent years and as with every business, the ones with money want to keep it and spend as little as possible when they have to (cough cough Movie and TV studios).
But as always it’s the people at the centre that suffer.
Sarr is lucky that he has managed to secure a move to a Champions League club and make the step upward, but others aren’t so lucky.
While the outlook of football is unlikely to change any time soon (especially financially) you’ve got to hope that players will be able to wrestle back control of their careers through clever contract negotiations in the future.
Until then we may still have to wonder what might have been with some of the most exciting talents.