Simon Jordan believes Watford winger Ismaila Sarr could face an almost impossible task if he is charged with replacing Wilfried Zaha at Crystal Palace, while speaking to talkSPORT (11 August, 12:00pm).
All the way back in September 1991, Selhurst Park bid an emotional farewell to a talismanic forward who scored 90 goals in seven seasons in red and blue.
As Marco Gabbiadini would find out, stepping into the boots of the legendary Ian Wright was easier said than done.
While Sarr enjoyed an impressive debut season at Premier League level, the £40 million-rated speed-machine could soon discover exactly how Gabbiadini felt all those years ago.
The Sun (9 August, page 60), reports that Crystal Palace are big fans of the Watford flyer as they prepare for life without Zaha in South London.
The 2019/20 campaign was hardly Zaha’s best but, as former owner Jordan points out, the Ivory Coast international is not only the first name on Roy Hodgson’s team sheet but also the man Palace turn to in times of difficulty.
“It is a good move if they can get him for the right price,” Jordan says. “He has big boots to fill, even if Wilf scored just four goals last season.
“(Sarr is) a decent player. Palace need to do a bit of a rebuild, whether that starts with the manager, who hasn’t set the world on fire since coming back from the lockdown.
“Its going to be a challenge. Everything has been about Zaha. Marco Gabbiadini came into replace Ian Wright and he was almost impossible to replace.
“Palace will have to move on without Zaha if they can get a proper transfer fee. I think he’s probably in the £45 million bracket.”
With five goals and four assists for a relegated Watford side, including a clinical brace in that 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool, Sarr actually outperformed Zaha in the season just gone.
And, with that searing pace and ability to produce something out of nothing, there are not many players better suited to taking over from Zaha at Selhurst.
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