Tottenham’s performance at Selhurst Park on Wednesday was superb, but Pape Sarr certainly caught the eye when he was substituted onto the pitch in the 66th minute.
The midfielder signed for Tottenham Hotspur officially in the summer window in 2021 from Metz for a fee understood to be €18 million plus bonuses (Via https://theathletic.com/news/tottenham-sign-pape-matar-sarr-from-metz/wxbGfhOTNyka/), but he was loaned back for a year before joining up with the squad last summer.
Sarr’s involvement since joining Spurs permanently last summer has been relatively non-existent, but after the injury to Rodrigo Bentancur and the suspension facing Yves Bissouma, yesterday was certainly a chance for the Senegalese international.
He undoubtedly impressed in his appearance, and proved he has potential. In the 24 minutes he featured, he had 95% pass accuracy (19 passes), won 3 ground duels, and made 2 tackles (via https://www.sofascore.com/crystal-palace-tottenham-hotspur/hI). The central midfielder showed composure and ability to control the lead Tottenham had and contribute to the clean sheet.
The most impressive part of Sarr’s game was his strength on the ball, especially for a 20 year old. His style of play is similar to the profile of Yaya Toure, although many aspects of his game still have to improve. In the end, his bright performance helped contribute to Spurs keeping their first clean sheet since October.
After his lack of appearances this season, there were questions of him returning out on loan to receive game time, but Spurs’ constant injury woes mean the midfielder is an important asset to the squad. It is crucial that he receives the right development so he can be a future starter for Spurs.
Conte confirmed Sarr would stay at Spurs this January in his post-match press conference: “Today Skipp and Sarr showed they are really reliable players for me and I'm really happy. We exploited the period of the World Cup to work with these young players to improve themselves under the tactical aspect and physical aspect. Now they stay with us in the squad”.
It is crucial that Pape Sarr pushes on now and strives to improve. His talent is undeniable, and while players are injured it is important that he continues to display his quality, as this certainly will not be his last chance this season.
The midfielder now has an opportunity to start his first game for the club against Portsmouth in the FA Cup on Saturday and stake his claim as a regular squad player at Spurs after numerous absences from the matchday squad this season.
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