It was a whirlwind of a deadline day for Premier League clubs, but the dust is starting to settle as the final details, paperwork submissions, and legalities are finalized for the last-minute business.
For Liverpool, they finally got their big move for Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain over the line for a package worth £123 million on a five-year deal, but they were unable to get any last-minute business done on deadline day despite the door being open as long as they could.
Andoni Iraola and company were closely monitoring the situations of both Brighton and Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr, but nothing materialized despite Liverpool's best efforts.
Sarr had reportedly expressed his desire to move to Anfield, and he and his representatives were pushing for a move, but Palace did not want to let their winger go for anything less than the £75-£80 million package they were asking for.
The South London outfit themselves had planned on bringing in Malick Fofana from Lyon, but Sunderland wound up beating them to the French winger's signature.
Ismaila Sarr's Agent Speaks Out
With Ismaila Sarr not being allowed to leave Palace for Liverpool, he was left frustrated, a sentiment expressed by his agent, Diomansy Kamara, who also represents fellow Senegalese international Lamine Camara, whose move to Chelsea from AS Monaco collapsed right before the transfer deadline.
For him, the sagas that unfold in transfer deadlines undermine the very human aspect of what's at stake for the players involved in the moves, potential moves, and collapsed moves.
Kamara's statement read (via Fabrizio Romano):
"We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background. <br><br>Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices. A transfer shouldn't just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there's a man, a career, dreams and life choices.<br><br>The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player? The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future.<br><br>Let's never forget what's important: behind every success, it's the players who write history first.”<br>
Marc Guehi All Over Again?
For Liverpool fans, the Sarr saga will remind them of what happened with Marc Guehi last summer. He was poised for a move to Merseyside from Palace, had agreed personal terms, and had even waved goodbye to Eagles fans after one of their opening matches of the season, but a deal fell through.
At the time, Oliver Glasner had threatened to walk if Palace let Guéhi go, since they had already lost Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, and the replacement who had lined up for Guéhi, Igor Julio, had wound up joining West Ham United instead. Moving parts going awry ultimately caused the English defender's desired move to Liverpool to fail, and he ended up at Manchester City in January.
While there might not have been as many moving parts with Sarr's desired move to Anfield, it's eerily similar to what happened with Guehi. Palace not being able to land Fofana probably had something to do with why they did not want to let Sarr go for anything less than they had initially asked for.
