Given Liverpool have drawn a blank in five of their last eight games, their hopes of retaining the Premier League dwindling with every missed chance, it seems strange to suggest missing out on a jet-heeled, £35 million forward is ‘no big loss’.
However, as Ismaila Sarr’s agent explains just how close the Watford winger came to joining Jurgen Klopp’s side in the January transfer window, the reaction from Reds supporters appears to be less ‘what if’ and more ‘so what?’.
“With Liverpool a few days ago, we were at the stage of signing the contract to bind the Reds to Ismaila Sarr,” agent Thierno Seydi tells PanAfrican Football.
“Everything was done, the monthly salary and the length of the contract. I even asked Sadio Mane to find him an apartment.
“But, in the end, the English club could not put €40 million (£35 million) on the table to finalise this case.”
Just 12 months ago, Sarr was sparking one of the most surprising results in recent Premier League history, scoring twice as soon-to-be-relegated Watford battered the Merseyside giants 3-0 at Vicarage Road.
The former Rennes winger is capable of tearing apart even the best defences with his searing pace and remorseless finishing.
But, aged just 22, consistency remains elusive. And, in truth, Sarr has been a big disappointment for Watford this season – struggling to regularly impose himself in the Championship and scoring only five goals so far.
£35 million feels rather steep for a forward who recently failed to find the net against QPR, Millwall and Coventry. Especially when you consider Diogo Jota will return from injury sooner rather than later.
Here’s how some Liverpool fans reacted to Sarr’s near miss on Twitter:
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