‘Badly advised’ - Ismaila Sarr & Jean-Philippe Mateta sagas puzzle Crystal Palace legend Clinton Morrison after Liverpool transfer links & bizarre contract claim

Sarr, who previously caught the eye with Watford, returned to English football in 2024 following a season-long stint at Marseille. He hit 21 goals across all competitions last season, as Palace added the Conference League trophy to their FA Cup and Community Shield mementos.

The 28-year-old winger was on target for Senegal at the 2026 World Cup and saw his stock soar to the point that a big-money move to Anfield was speculated on. Sarr was eager to make such a switch and reportedly refused to train at one stage as he waited on Palace to accept an offer. No agreement was ever reached.

Sarr has not figured under new boss Pierre Sage, as a groin problem holds him back, with plenty of bridges being burned. Is he now desperately holding out hope that someone will come calling again in the January window?

When that question was put to Morrison, the former Eagles striker - speaking courtesy of Freebets.com, the source for betting sites reviews - told GOAL of an unfortunate saga: “I don't know what's going on because I just thought he genuinely did have an injury. 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.

“I get it. Liverpool come in for you, you want to move. But go about it the right way because eventually you will get the move. That's what I've always said to people. And I don't know if he's injured or he's not injured. So 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.

“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.

“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.

“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. 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.”

Liverpool, who remain keen on Brighton winger Minteh, added £123 million ($167m) Champions League winner Bradley Barcola to their ranks over the summer, alongside promising Spaniard Victor Munoz. They retained the services of Cody Gakpo and are hoping to give regular game time to 18-year-old wonderkid Rio Ngumoha.

With all of that taken into account, will they still be looking at Sarr come the turn of the year? Morrison added: “I know they want a right-sided player. And their number one was Minteh. And Brighton knocked them back. They offered £65 million.

“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.”

Another prominent star at Selhurst Park that has been generating plenty of unwelcome headlines is burly frontman Mateta. The France international, who came close to joining Serie A giants AC Milan in January, has claimed that the 12-month extension that has been triggered in his counteract is invalid.

Asked about that slightly bizarre situation, Morrison went on to say: “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.

“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. 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.

“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.”

Mateta has scored 62 goals for Palace through 203 appearances, having joined the club in January 2021. He is now 29 years of age and will believe that he has one more big move - and new challenge - left in him.

The same could be said of Sarr, who needs to make the most of his individual purple patch, but the Eagles will not bow to pressure if the terms on offer are not right for them. It remains to be seen what the transfer markets of 2027 will bring.