Ismaila Sarr

[rotherham_red]

Sarr is so different to James as a player that even the comparison is pointless.

He really isn't. He's definitely better and more refined but his strengths and weaknesses are almost exactly the same as James'. He displays very little to no interplay whenever I've seen him and undoubtedly his best moments have come when he has space to run in behind on the transition. Almost like-for-like with James. And James actually outperformed him last year in terms of G&A

For someone who came in for £30m last season, he was a letdown for Watford and I can't understand why so many are wanting him here when they are many of the same people who say James isn't of the required standard. Not least when James cost half as much.

We already have a raw winger who is a long-term project. We don't need another. If we have to spend £40m, then at least get someone in who offers something different to what we already have. Sarr isn't that.

 

[buchansleftleg]

I hope we don't sign this lad as a replacement for not getting Sancho. The poor kid won't stand a chance. This would be worse than replacing Ronaldo with Valencia - at least we had experience of Ronaldo having the odd off game - Sancho will remain pure and chrome and perfect if we don't actually sign him and any kid is going to wilt under that sort of spotlight.

 

[rotherham_red]

Watford struggled to score last season, Sarrs best games were for example the Liverpool match, where he could run in behind against a high back line.

It's not even low blocks, Sarr against a normal defence isn't the kind that can regularly beat a man 1v1. To be honest he reminds me a bit of a right sided Rashford with a worse final ball

That comparison is an insult.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

He really isn't. He's definitely better and more refined but his strengths and weaknesses are almost exactly the same as James'. He displays very little to no interplay whenever I've seen him and undoubtedly his best moments have come when he has space to run in behind on the transition. Almost like-for-like with James. And James actually outperformed him last year in terms of G&A

For someone who came in for £30m last season, he was a letdown for Watford and I can't understand why so many are wanting him here when they are many of the same people who say James isn't of the required standard. Not least when James cost half as much.

We already have a raw winger who is a long-term project. We don't need another. If we have to spend £40m, then at least get someone in who offers something different to what we already have. Sarr isn't that.

Who do you want him to be playing interplays and one touch passes with? Troy Deeney, Doucoure or Capoue? Only other player with a decent amount of flair in that squad is Deulofeu. There's no point in pulling up his tally from last season as it was a dumpster fire of a season for Watford as a whole.

Sometimes you have to see the attributes and what can be developed and what else can shine when playing with better quality players. He's much more effective playing on the right than James and his passing into the box is also more varied and accurate than anything James has delivered.

 

[JJ12]

He really isn't. He's definitely better and more refined but his strengths and weaknesses are almost exactly the same as James'. He displays very little to no interplay whenever I've seen him and undoubtedly his best moments have come when he has space to run in behind on the transition. Almost like-for-like with James. And James actually outperformed him last year in terms of G&A

For someone who came in for £30m last season, he was a letdown for Watford and I can't understand why so many are wanting him here when they are many of the same people who say James isn't of the required standard. Not least when James cost half as much.

We already have a raw winger who is a long-term project. We don't need another. If we have to spend £40m, then at least get someone in who offers something different to what we already have. Sarr isn't that.

Its a lazy comparison.

Not sure what you've been watching with these comments to be honest.

 

[flappyjay]

However, I disagree with your statement about we should be looking to find someone better than Greenwood. Not many available players in the current market are on Sancho level or obvious upgrade of Greenwood.

Many people don't get that. I see the likes of chiesa being suggested but that would be 60m for a player who would come warm the bench. The only realistic transfer for an upgrade on Greenwood is Sancho. Everyone else seems to be below the kid.

 

[starman]

For someone who came in for £30m last season, he was a letdown for Watford and I can't understand why so many are wanting him here when they are many of the same people who say James isn't of the required standard. Not least when James cost half as much.

I don't particularly want him, but this is rubbish, he was their main threat last year, and the fact he is being linked to United and Liverpool says otherwise.
If there was no pandemic someone would have picked him up right now even at 40m.

 

[roonster09]

"Manchester United need a right winger. He’s a big, big talent, honestly he really is.

"We’ve seen his performances before but tonight he was a shining light, even in that first half there were periods where Watford did attack and it was through him. So yeah, he’ll be sought after and Watford will, I’m sure, cash in if they get the right bid."

"I always think, particularly as a wide player, what would I have not wanted to have played against? The first thing is pace. And then you’ve got to think about, can he use his pace? Well yes he can, because he makes really good quality runs: the spin in behind, straight, but also the run inside in between full-back and centre-back – which I always think is the most difficult to mark.

"And then you think, well has he got quality on the ball? Could you just left him have it? Sometimes you’ve got quick players, let him have the ball. But when you let him have the ball, he can get it out of his feet and whip ridiculously good crosses in.

"So that’s when you’re thinking about the fact that you’ve got a real problem, as a full-back.

"Because if I get tight, he’s going to spin in behind me. If I drop off him, he’s just going to get an easy cross in and you can’t win."

Neville on Sarr in July.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Neville on Sarr in July.

So he's basically Welbeck who can deliver good crosses.

"I always think, particularly as a wide player, what would I have not wanted to have played against? The first thing is pace. And then you’ve got to think about, can he use his pace? Well yes he can, because he makes really good quality runs: the spin in behind, straight, but also the run inside in between full-back and centre-back – which I always think is the most difficult to mark. (Welbeck when plays on the left with us)

"And then you think, well has he got quality on the ball? Could you just left him have it? Sometimes you’ve got quick players, let him have the ball. But when you let him have the ball, he can get it out of his feet and whip ridiculously good crosses in. (Good crosses)

 

[Lee565]

It says a lot about him when even his youtube highlights are average

 

[romufc]

So he's basically Welbeck who can deliver good crosses.

The games I have seen Sarr play well are against teams that come out and play e.g Liverpool, Arsenal etc..

We need players who can break teams down. I cannot how he is the alternative to Sancho. One is £108m and the other is £40m. The quality difference is way more than that.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

This is the crosses if people want to see the crosses he usually put in.

 

[DWelbz19]

I think Mane was a much more polished player from Southampton.

Definitely. Beyond the fact they’re both Senegalese, I don’t really see the comparison anyway. Mane has always been a much more clinical player. Before joining Pool: 0.88 G/A per game at Salzburg, 0.52 at Saints. Sarr’s highest at Rennais was about 0.4. At Watford he’s at about 0.33.

Obligatory stats aren’t everything and all...

 

[ghagua]

Sarr would be a good signing if we miss out on Sancho. There are only a few alternatives who can break down a packed defense like Sancho, one is Ousmane Dembele who has a long history of injuries and from reports has behavioral issues. Not many choices out there right now. We desperately need a right-sided attacker as back up to Greenwood or even s a starter.

 

[ghagua]

This is the crosses if people want to see the crosses he usually put in.

Perfectly fine crosses their from that video, the issue is, we'll have the same problem of not having any finishers in the box to meet those crosses.

 

[AltiUn]

A lot of comments on this thread were probably posted in the Mane thread.

Sarr has the tools to be a similar type of player, he just needs coaching.

Martial and Rashford both just had their best individual seasons, Greenwood was also pretty exceptional too. If the attacker is genuinely talented I can see him improving. Still not remotely sold on Sarr though.

 

[roonster09]

Before anyone even start to bother to go on a rant, don't. I'm not saying he is comparable to Mane but it's hilarious to see how everything is rewritten now that Mane has become exceptional player for Liverpool.

If anyone is interested, this is the thread when we were linked with Mane for the first time. As usual CAF experts thought the player was so below our level, we shouldn't even bother.

 

[roonster09]

A lot of comments on this thread were probably posted in the Mane thread.

Sarr has the tools to be a similar type of player, he just needs coaching.

Before anyone even start to bother to go on a rant, don't. I'm not saying he is comparable to Mane but it's hilarious to see how everything is rewritten now that Mane has become exceptional player for Liverpool.

If anyone is interested, this is the thread when we were linked with Mane for the first time. As usual CAF experts thought the player was so below our level, we shouldn't even bother.

Spot on. Look at the comments in the thread linked.

Edit: Not sure if he can reach Mane heights btw, just that the reactions are almost same.

 

[rotherham_red]

Who do you want him to be playing interplays and one touch passes with? Troy Deeney, Doucoure or Capoue? Only other player with a decent amount of flair in that squad is Deulofeu. There's no point in pulling up his tally from last season as it was a dumpster fire of a season for Watford as a whole.

Sometimes you have to see the attributes and what can be developed and what else can shine when playing with better quality players. He's much more effective playing on the right than James and his passing into the box is also more varied and accurate than anything James has delivered.

Doucoure Capoue, Pereyra, Deloufeou - all players who are capable of it. Even Deeney is to an extent.

The attributes you can list for him are what, exactly? Pace, strength, and what else? I don't see much dribbling ability (it's essentially the same kick and rush style James has) or anything more advanced than a decent cross. Can you also show me this varied passing, cos I certainly haven't.

Look, it's not that I don't like him, I do (I even said he looked a player from the World Cup just gone, the first post on him from anyone on the caf) but he'll only ever be a squad player and what he provides is already largely here when what we need is more variety in our game.

 

[VP89]

Perfectly fine crosses their from that video, the issue is, we'll have the same problem of not having any finishers in the box to meet those crosses.

This is a gripe I have with the team. We love going wide and then realize we have one man in the box.

I saw Liverpool yesterday and they're not finding eye of the needle passes, just flooding men into the box with fine cutbacks often. We don't do this near enough.

 

[rotherham_red]

I don't particularly want him, but this is rubbish, he was their main threat last year, and the fact he is being linked to United and Liverpool says otherwise.
If there was no pandemic someone would have picked him up right now even at 40m.

You talk like Watford were perennially battling relegation when he came. They weren't. They had stabilised themselves as a mid-lower table PL club and were looking to push on. Hence the purchase of Sarr. And for those expectations, Sarr did not deliver.

 

[Giggsy13]

Would be my top choice as an alternative to Sancho. He had a good first season at Watford considering the circumstances. Hopefully the dippers with Jota won’t be moving for him, so it’s another scenario where we have little to no competition to sign him.

I can see this happening after the 5th if and likely when we miss out on Sancho.

 

[Devil may care]

It‘s not how far below Sancho he is, it’s is he better than our current starting options. If the club can’t afford Sancho, then they have to move on.There’s an issue with the right wing that needs a solution that the owners will allow the club to spend its money on. Bit pointless harping on about Sancho if the owners don’t want to spend on him. Top 4 and they’re happy, plus he won’t turn us into title contender, so purely from a business point, he’s a very expensive way to retain 3rd place.
Be nice to have a proper winger who will stretch the play, I hope the club find someone.

If they can't afford Sancho then they should have bought someone else weeks ago, anything but him now is desperation and I wouldn't say Sarr or Brooks are better than Greenwood, so they're bench options when we need first 11 additions. We have a proper winger in James and it doesn't suit how we play unless we are playing City or Liverpool who will attack us and leave space for pace merchants.

 

[rotherham_red]

Its a lazy comparison.

Not sure what you've been watching with these comments to be honest.

My question is whether you've actually seen him or are just jumping on the bandwagon cos of those goals versus Liverpool?

He is more of what we already have when we are crying out for some variety. A pointless signing.

 

[acnumber9]

Just because people thought Mane wasn’t good enough doesn’t mean they’re wrong to say Sarr isn’t good enough. It’s a stupid line of thinking. If Mane and Sarr have to be compared then compare their actual performances, not what some numptys on the internet say. Mane scored twice as many goals as Sarr in his first season in the Premier League and had a better record prior to coming to England. Sarr may be very talented but he was shit for Watford.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

This is the crosses if people want to see the crosses he usually put in.

God awful! AWB has nothing to worry about

 

[rotherham_red]

Spot on. Look at the comments in the thread linked.

Edit: Not sure if he can reach Mane heights btw, just that the reactions are almost same.

It really isn't the same. I actually wanted Mane here when that news broke out as well.

But Sarr just isn't that sort of player and anyone saying he is, are just doing a lazy comparison because they are from the same country.

If we didn't have James, or if the price was c.£20m I'd be all for it, as he'd be a good squad option on the bench against tired legs but he doesn't provide anything different to what we already have. We need a player in the Brooks mould if Sancho isn't coming, not Sarr.

 

[ghagua]

This is a gripe I have with the team. We love going wide and then realize we have one man in the box.

I saw Liverpool yesterday and they're not finding eye of the needle passes, just flooding men into the box with fine cutbacks often. We don't do this near enough.

Yea, this shite should have been sorted out on the training ground eons ago. We have the players capable of getting into the box, even the full-backs to cause some chaos, but we get one person in the box at best. Ole should be showing the team how Ronaldo makes a living coming in late from the wide areas to finish off chances. I know they are not on Ronaldo's level, at least they get some pointers.

 

[starman]

You talk like Watford were perennially battling relegation when he came. They weren't. They had stabilised themselves as a mid-lower table PL club and were looking to push on. Hence the purchase of Sarr. And for those expectations, Sarr did not deliver.

They had always been a team among the battle, they had one good year, finishing on 50 points and the rest they had been in the low 40s. They had 4 managers last year, and over cooked their formula of sacking managers if things didn't instantly workout. I don't think you even watched Watford last year, if you did you would have seen the improvement when Sarr came into the side that was already rooted deep to the bottom on the table as Garcia didn't play him regularly at the start

 

[Godfather]

One of few players that don't even look good in their YouTube comps

 

[Red_toad]

It really isn't the same. I actually wanted Mane here when that news broke out as well.

But Sarr just isn't that sort of player and anyone saying he is, are just doing a lazy comparison because they are from the same country.

If we didn't have James, or if the price was c.£20m I'd be all for it, as he'd be a good squad option on the bench against tired legs but he doesn't provide anything different to what we already have. We need a player in the Brooks mould if Sancho isn't coming, not Sarr.

Who’s the genuine right winger we already have? Greenwood is a striker, James is far better from the left, Chong is on loan, Mata & Jesse are proven to be ineffective. So who is this right winger we have?
Brooks would cost as much and isn’t that far along from a big injury

 

[Godfather]

Just because people thought Mane wasn’t good enough doesn’t mean they’re wrong to say Sarr isn’t good enough. It’s a stupid line of thinking. If Mane and Sarr have to be compared then compare their actual performances, not what some numptys on the internet say. Mane scored twice as many goals as Sarr in his first season in the Premier League and had a better record prior to coming to England. Sarr may be very talented but he was shit for Watford.

Mane was a fecking machine at Salzburg. To even compare him to Sarr who looks like Bambi on ice when he has the feet on the ball show a severe lack of footballing knowledge.

 

[Rolaholic]

 

[Lee565]

We need players that are good in tight spaces, not another james type attacker that needs space to be effective, I would rather someone like west Brom's Pereira as a back up option

 

[roonster09]

It really isn't the same. I actually wanted Mane here when that news broke out as well.

But Sarr just isn't that sort of player and anyone saying he is, are just doing a lazy comparison because they are from the same country.

He isn't the same player, don't think he will reach that level. I was just pointing out how the reaction was same when Mane was linked with us, now all of a sudden people started with how they saw good player when he was at Southampton.

For some reason Caf moans when we are linked with players from midtable/lower PL teams.

 

[bosnian_red]

He isn't the same player, don't think he will reach that level. I was just pointing out how the reaction was same when Mane was linked with us, now all of a sudden people started with how they saw good player when he was at Southampton.

For some reason Caf moans when we are linked with players from midtable/lower PL teams.

Mane at the time though was a lot mor3 proven. Sarr is an expensive flop waiting to happen because I think he'd just crumble at a club like Man United without getting that base first. We need an experienced squad member if we aren't getting Sancho, someone like Perisic or Costa, not somebody who wasn't a regular for a relegated team and only had a couple of good performances last season.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

We need players that are good in tight spaces, not another james type attacker that needs space to be effective, I would rather someone like west Brom's Pereira as a back up option

Why the hell would Pereira come here to sit on the bench? We need as good as what we have to challenge and whether we get this lad or not he’s streets ahead of James and is an improving player

 

[roonster09]

Mane at the time though was a lot mor3 proven. Sarr is an expensive flop waiting to happen because I think he'd just crumble at a club like Man United without getting that base first. We need an experienced squad member if we aren't getting Sancho, someone like Perisic or Costa, not somebody who wasn't a regular for a relegated team and only had a couple of good performances last season.

Yes, I didn't compare them.

Not Costa, he makes Jones look like reliable player.

 

[Holocene]

We need players that are good in tight spaces, not another james type attacker that needs space to be effective, I would rather someone like west Brom's Pereira as a back up option

James doesn't even do what he's supposed to do - stretch teams by using his pace to beat players and provide width. I'm not sure if Sarr would be that player though.

 

[SAFMUTD]

Fred is good.

50M good? Thats around what we paid for Bruno. Fred hasn't been able to nail a starting place in the first XI. While he's a useful utility player if we wanted to sell I doubt we would get more than 30M for him.