Pape Sarr the next Tottenham gem to be tied down to a new long-term deal – Fabrizio Romano
By Ollie Spencer
Senegal midfielder Pape Matar Sarr deserves a new contract at Tottenham.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the north London club had renewed the contract of left-back prospect Destiny Udogie, extending his stay at the club until 2030.
Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that Sarr is now prepared to enter talks over fresh terms.
Romano said: “Tottenham want to keep going with this contract extensions. Another player they want to offer a deal is for example Pape Matar Sarr, who is always doing very well in the midfield. [He] now is ready to discuss a new contract.”
Sarr, who only turned 21 in September, has become an instant favourite of manager Ange Postecoglou – who has continued to put faith in young players as he has for much of his 25-year career – since the Australian arrived at the club this summer.
Although not even halfway through the season, the energetic box-to-box midfielder has already made more Premier League appearances this season (14) than he did for the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign (11), totalling 909 minutes in the competition compared to 218 last season FBRef.
Sarr, who was crowned Confederation of African Football Youth Player of the Year last year, started his footballing journey at the prestigious Génération Foot academy in Senegal before taking his first steps in Europe with Ligue 1 outfit, FC Metz.
Rated as one of the best young players in the French top flight, Tottenham acquired the then 18-year-old in the summer of 2021, with Sarr remaining on loan at Metz for the season where he played almost every available minute, but was unable to save his side from relegation.
Now firmly established in the Tottenham first team, the 21-year-old has made the position of the right-sided midfielder in Postecoglou’s 4-3-3 his own, striking a strong understanding with right-back Pedro Porro who will often drift in-field and occupy similar areas to the Senegalese, which sees Sarr drop deeper or pull into wide areas.
It is in transition where Sarr especially shines, with the Senegal international who will represent his country in January’s African Cup of Nations possessing a long stride which allows him to cover ground quickly, which has proved a valuable asset to Spurs both in attacking and defensive transition.
This is shown through Sarr ranking second amongst the Tottenham squad this season for carries into the final third (FBRef). Below are all 63 of his touches in Spurs’ most recent match against Newcastle which again highlights how much of the pitch he covers, and the six tackles he completed, only second to Yves Bissouma amongst Spurs players on the day (WhoScored).
At 21 years old, Sarr will only improve and become more influential in this Spurs team under Postecoglou. Additionally, from next season the midfielder will count as homegrown which makes an extension to his current contract which expires in 2026 a very wise decision by the club.
In other Tottenham news, a BBC pundit is thrilled with this £11million-plus commitment by the club.