Player profile: Ismaïla Sarr

Player profile: Ismaïla Sarr

By Jonny Bray
The Premier League is the most competitive it has ever been.
Even the sides at the foot of the table have some elite players on their books.
Watford are a great example of this.
With stars like Ismaïla Sarr, Emmanuel Dennis and Joshua King all showing their class in recent months, it's difficult to see how they've found themselves in such an unflattering position.
Sarr has been turning heads for several seasons now, and you have to think that if Watford go down, he'll be on his way out of the club.
Even if Roy Hodgson does the impossible and keeps the Hornets up, the winger's days at the club would still be limited.
He's been the target of several top sides for a few seasons, including Liverpool and Chelsea.
And papers are now reporting that one of those clubs is Arsenal.
So here is everything you need to know about the Senegal international.

What would he bring to Arsenal?

The 24-year-old forward is rapid, powerful and direct.
In a 3-0 win against Liverpool back in February 2020, he showed just how dangerous he could be against a high line.
He showed his poaching instinct to tap his first home from close range before making Virgil van Dijk look like Emmerson Boyce for his second.
He made the Dutch icon look slow as he sped away before expertly chipping the goalkeeper.
And that wasn't the only time he ripped a high-quality team apart.
Across his entire Premier League career, Sarr has scored ten goals and recorded five assists in 44 games.
That's an impressive return in what is widely considered to be a weak Watford side.
He's done the business for numerous different managers, has put several different sides to the sword and has shown that he can play in a variety of positions across a front three.
Above all else, he's still only 24, and his value would have decreased since the end of the 2019/20 season when people were talking about him as a £60 or £70 million player.

What are the risks?

Sarr can be world-class on his day, but when he's not at 100%, the winger has shown that his performance levels can drop.
The player's contract runs until 2024, so we'd be expected to pay a large transfer fee for him.
That doesn't seem like a risk that Mikel Arteta would be willing to take, particularly considering his recent business in the transfer market.
We've seen the Arsenal boss go after expensive English talent while poaching great deals for lesser-known players from Europe.
That policy has undoubtedly increased the fan's connection with the Arsenal team, but it also suggests that spending big money on players like Sarr is a thing of the past in North London.

Conclusion

Sarr is an exciting player who would definitely add a lot to this Arsenal squad.
At the same time, it's unlikely the Gunners will sign the forward.
He's a big risk at such a hefty price tag, and he has not been able to stop Watford from sinking towards relegation.
If they do sign him, it will signal a break from Arteta's transfer policy over the last two years.
And after experiencing some success with that system in recent times, it is unclear if that would be the wisest move.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

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