Crystal Palace's Sarr and Mateta: Injury Updates and Future Prospects
At Crystal Palace right now, the spotlight keeps drifting away from the pitch and back onto the treatment room, the boardroom and the rumour mill. Two of the club’s biggest attacking names, Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta, are at the centre of it.
Neither story is straightforward. Both could shape Palace’s season.
Sarr stuck on the outside
Sarr has yet to feature under new boss Pierre Sage. Officially, a groin problem is keeping him out. Unofficially, plenty of bridges feel scorched.
He is training on his own. He is not with the main group. For a player who had Liverpool circling in the summer, that isolation carries a heavy subtext.
When Clinton Morrison was asked whether Sarr is now simply clinging to the hope that someone returns for him in January, the former Palace striker painted a picture of confusion and frustration rather than outright rebellion.
“I don't know what's going on because I just thought he genuinely did have an injury,” Morrison told GOAL, speaking on behalf of Freebets.com. “And I think the manager has come out and said he's got an injury. He's training individually. He's not ready to train with the squad.”
The Liverpool interest is the obvious fault line. Once a club of that size calls, heads turn.
“I get it. Liverpool come in for you, you want to move,” Morrison said. “But go about it the right way because eventually you will get the move. That's what I've always said to people.”
For now, Palace’s version is simple: Sarr is injured, working alone, not yet ready. Morrison is inclined to accept that.
“At the moment, Palace say he's injured. So I believe what Palace say because I know people there. He's injured. He's training individually. So we'll wait and see.”
The narrative that Sarr is sitting out to force a transfer has gathered pace. Morrison understands the disappointment but points to others in the squad who handled similar setbacks differently.
“If people are thinking he's not training because he wanted to get his move - yeah, he's disappointed he didn't get his move. But Marc Guehi, loads of times he didn't get his move. [Eberechi] Eze didn't get his move. Eventually, you'll get your move. Handle the situation differently.”
The chairman’s stance is another key piece. Palace’s top scorer was never likely to be allowed to leave late in the window with survival on the line.
“And I know one thing, the chairman will let you have that move for sure. But because you come in so late with the bid, the chairman can't afford the top goalscorer to leave the football club and leave the club hanging on by a thread to stay in the Premier League. They've got to look after themselves.”
Liverpool’s options crowd the picture
Sarr’s dream destination has not stood still either. Liverpool still want a right-sided attacker, but their recruitment drive has been aggressive.
They pushed hard for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh, tabling an offer of £65 million, only to be knocked back. They went big elsewhere, bringing in £123 million Champions League winner Bradley Barcola and adding promising Spaniard Victor Munoz. Cody Gakpo stayed put. Highly rated 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha is also in line for minutes.
With that depth, Sarr’s window of opportunity may be narrowing.
Morrison is clear on Liverpool’s profile.
“I know they want a right-sided player. And their number one was Minteh. And Brighton knocked them back. They offered £65 million.”
That leaves Sarr in a precarious position. Waiting for Liverpool is a gamble when the club can simply pivot to the next young star.
“So if someone wants to move to Liverpool, he can't just sit there and wait because Liverpool might go, ‘well, we're going to get [Yankuba] Minteh’, who is a younger player. His move to Liverpool might not happen.”
The solution, in Morrison’s eyes, is brutally simple: play.
“What he should do is get back fit for Palace, score goals and then prove to people. And then in January, if everything's all right, he might get that move.”
The message doesn’t change, even with the Anfield pull.
“I know Sarr wants that move there - I get it, it's Liverpool Football Club. Everyone will want to go to Liverpool. But the move's not happened now. And the best thing to do is get your head down, get fit and play a big part in Palace doing well this season.”
Mateta’s contract row adds to the noise
If Sarr’s situation is murky, Mateta’s is downright bizarre.
The powerful French striker, who came close to joining AC Milan in January, has claimed the 12-month extension triggered in his contract is invalid. For a player who has already ridden one aborted move, it is another twist in a restless spell.
Morrison, who knows Mateta personally, sounded baffled.
“I don't get that with JP. And I know him really well. So it's a strange one. I feel like he's being badly advised. It’s as simple as that, he's a good person. I've got a lot of time for JP. And I feel like he's getting badly advised.”
Right now, Mateta is also injured. Palace expect him back within a week or two. When he returns, Morrison is convinced the forward will park the off-field noise and throw himself back into the fight.
“But one thing with JP is he's injured at the moment. He should be back in a week or a couple of weeks. When he's back, he'll give his all for that club.”
There is evidence for that. Last season, with speculation swirling and a move to AC Milan collapsing at the medical stage, Mateta responded on the pitch. He went on to score in the Europa Conference League final.
“As you saw last season, when there was a lot of noise, he'd be leaving, could have gone to AC Milan. Obviously, it didn't happen with the medical. Came back, scored the goal in the Europa Conference League final.”
Two frustrations, two potential solutions
For now, Palace fans look at Sarr and Mateta and see disruption, uncertainty and missed minutes. Morrison sees something else lurking behind the chaos: influence still to come.
“So obviously, there's two players that Palace fans are probably frustrated with at the moment - Sarr and Mateta. But I still think they are two players that will have a big impact for the club when they come back.”
The question is no longer just who wants to leave, or who Liverpool might fancy. It is whether Palace can get both forwards fit, focused and firing quickly enough to turn an uneasy autumn into a far more stable winter.
