Pape Matar Sarr showed a glimpse of just what he can offer Tottenham in the future on Sunday evening. Yet to make an appearance for the Lilywhites since his move from Metz in August 2021, England's World Cup Round of 16 showdown vs Senegal allowed Spurs fans the opportunity to finally cast their eye over the highly-rated midfielder.
Coming off the substitutes' bench for 13 minutes in their second Group A game against Qatar, Sarr was given more of a chance to show what he's all about following his half-time introduction with England two goals to the good. Always looking likely to feature in the contest with Everton's Idrissa Gana Gueye suspended for the knockout tie, Harry Kane was asked about what his Tottenham teammate could offer Senegal ahead of the game.
"Pape has come into the team, he hasn’t quite found himself playing a lot of games, yet," said the Three Lions captain on the eve of the clash. "But, from what I see in training, he’s a really talented player. Quite quiet in terms of personality, he just gets on with training and his job.
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“He’s a good guy, so if he plays tomorrow then obviously I know a few things from training. He’s a really talented player with some great ability on the ball. It’s good to see him doing well at the highest level.”
Taking the place of Krepin Diatta, Sarr was involved immediately after his introduction as he won a header against Luke Shaw before then getting the better of Jude Bellingham as England's star man looked to break into the box. There was even a sight on goal for Sarr at the other end of the pitch when the ball broke to him on the edge of the area, only for the player to drag his left footed-attempt wide of the target.
Showing some good touches in midfield and always looking for the ball as he played with no fear, he was dispossessed in the middle of the park on a couple of occasions as England looked for more goals. Firstly losing the ball to Bukayo Saka which resulted in an England break, he was then too slow in possession as Declan Rice came from behind and expertly picked his pocket.
What Sarr did demonstrate in his Round of 16 appearance is his liking for a shot from distance after having four attempts on goal. Seeing one effort from 25 yards blocked by the England defence, his next attempt was one to forget as it sailed incredibly high over the target after falling his way on the edge of the area.
The shot wasn't great at all to say the least but the chance all came from a sublime crossfield ball from the player as he picked his teammate out on the right flank. Sarr played three long balls in his 45 minutes and all three reached their intended target, with the player recording an overall pass completion rate of 88.9% from his 27 passes.
What was also notable in the closing stages was that Sarr was trusted with set-piece duty for his country despite Senegal having more experienced players out on the pitch. Handed a free-kick 25 yards from goal, the Thiaroye-born player curled the ball around the wall and saw his effort brush the side of Jordan Pickford's goal.
Swinging in a couple of corners in stoppage time, one of which was a very good delivery, Sarr's set-piece prowess does hand Antonio Conte and Tottenham another weapon when it comes to dead-ball situations. Tottenham have benefited massively from this area of their game in 2022/23 following the appointment of specialist Gianni Vio and Sarr could come in very handy indeed if he is to eventually feature in the Spurs first team.
Handed an incredibly tough task competing against England's midfield three of Bellingham, Rice and Jordan Henderson, Sarr, who swapped shirts with club teammate Eric Dier after the game, fared well in his 45 minutes on the pitch and his rating of 6.30 on whoscored.com was the second best of the 16 Senegal players who faced England. Fabio Paratici's signing didn't look out of place and he will now be hoping that more minutes come his way in the second part of the season, whether that be at Tottenham or out on loan elsewhere.
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