63 mins per game, booked every 4.8 tackles: Spurs starlet's loan spell now a disaster – opinion

In our Loan Watch feature, the Transfer Tavern takes a look at how Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pape Matar Sarr is faring during a season-long spell at FC Metz. 

Following four goals in 26 appearances across all competitions last season, Spurs signed Sarr from the French Ligue 1 club in August 2021.

The 19-year-old starlet was phenomenal at the Stade Saint-Symphorien in 2020/21, registering 1.4 shots, 0.7 key passes, two tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game while completing 85 per cent of his passes (Whoscored).

He was then immediately loaned back to Metz before potentially linking up with the Spurs squad for the 2022/23 campaign.

However, the youngster is actually managing less of all of the aforementioned statistics this season – shots, key passes, tackles, interceptions and pass completion – and is losing possession twice as often as last term.

Sarr was recently dubbed as a ‘stalling’ player who has ‘destabilised’ his career too early by moving to Tottenham (L’Equipe via Sport Witness), and the numbers unfortunately back this up, managing just 63 minutes per appearance in 2021/22.

So far this season the five-cap Senegal ace has earned a 6.70 average Sofascore rating from 24 league outings. He has also been booked six times versus 29 tackles, a worrying rate of one yellow card every 4.8 tackles for the defensive midfielder.

By comparison, Harry Winks has a 6.96 rating from 14 Premier League appearances and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg boasts an impressive 7.17 score having played 27 times in the English top-flight this term.

Given this dip in form and a change in manager at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since Sarr signed for Spurs, it remains to be seen whether Antonio Conte will welcome him into the ranks.

Despite boasting