Sarr as the great hope of Crystal Palace's season
The 28-year-old forward has been one of the few constants in an unsettling season at Selhurst Park.
Sarr scored in the first leg of Palace's Conference League quarter-final against Fiorentina. He has 16 goals and two assists in 33 games this season. [Getty Images] Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr has stepped into the spotlight for his side amid a turbulent period marked by poor form, managerial uncertainty and major player departures.
The 28-year-old has remained at Selhurst Park despite the exits of Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi, while manager Oliver Glasner has announced he will leave at the end of the season. Jean‑Philippe Mateta also saw a deadline‑day move to AC Milan collapse in January after failing a medical. Sarr's form has been a rare positive.
His seven goals in his last 20 Premier League matches, along with four in seven Conference League games, earned him the club's player of the month award. He also claimed goal of the month for a crucial strike against Tottenham , which helped ensure a recent dip in form did not develop into a shock relegation battle. His finishing places him in the 81st percentile (before gameweek 32), while his performances at the Africa Cup of Nations helped Senegal win the tournament in Morocco – a title later stripped from them in the weeks that followed.
It leaves the forward, who is capable of playing across the frontline, attracting early interest from elsewhere, though he will still have three years remaining on his contract this summer. It will be up to those at Palace to ensure history does not repeat itself, having previously lost key figures following recent success, including FA Cup glory last summer and a return to European competition for the first time in 18 years.