Crystal Palace manager Oliver Sarr held a press conference ahead of the club's Premier League match against Manchester City. Sarr provided updates on injured players Amine Sarr and Shadi Riad, as well as new signing Maxence Disasi, while discussing the future of striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and external interest in midfielder Amine Sarr. He also addressed the team's reaction to last weekend's defeat to Everton, the challenges posed by Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, and his anticipation for his first official match in charge at Selhurst Park on Friday night. Sarr also spoke about managing players during the transfer window and his expectations for the atmosphere in the stadium.

How are Amine Sarr and Shadi Riad recovering?

Amine Sarr is still training individually because his groin injury is quite painful, so he didn't train with the team today. However, we will prepare him according to his recovery progress. I initially thought he would recover faster, but I'm not a doctor, so I can only wait for him and help prepare him to return to the team.

What about Riad? Do you have the scan results? Any updates?

We still need to get a second opinion from a specialist, as it's difficult to give an exact recovery timeline for this type of injury. So I'd prefer to wait and then announce the official conclusion to everyone.

Will Sarr be able to play against Manchester City on Friday?

Sarr? No, that won't be possible.

Pierre, have you learned anything new about the team in recent days? You lost your first match to Everton—how do you feel about that now? What have you learned?

The players are very disappointed, and I can understand that. They clearly know what happened in the match, especially since everyone thought we should have scored in the first half. If we had, the match might have gone differently. But football isn't just about whether you deserve to win or deserve to score—you have to actually convert chances into goals. In the end, football is about efficiency, and we weren't efficient enough at that moment. That's why we lost. We need to improve at creating chances and also at converting them, so we can do better.

Over recent weeks, you've repeatedly mentioned that Crystal Palace fans were an important reason for joining the club. How much are you looking forward to your first official match at Selhurst Park?

I think it will be a special moment, but I'd like to enjoy that moment at the end of the match, with good news. So in this situation, I won't be thinking about myself. What matters most is the team and the result, because we've prepared for this all week, hoping to make the fans happy. Of course, they'll be pleased to see us, but I think they'd prefer to see us win.

We discussed Disasi last week, and now the signing has been officially confirmed. Why did you decide to sign him?

Now that everything is officially confirmed, that's good news for us, especially considering Shadi Riad's injury. That's precisely why he was signed. He joined quickly, but we had to wait some time before that because, as I told you, the negotiations were very difficult. Eventually, we reached an agreement with him and his club. So now he's ready and has completed his first training session since joining today. We'll see if he can play, since he hasn't had any competitive matches at the start of the season. But he's a footballer and knows his responsibilities. We have the opportunity to give him time and help him integrate with the team.

What qualities do you like about him?

Very many. First, he can provide stability and help the team at this position, since we have injuries and also wanted to add depth to the position. So we may need to bring in another defender. But with Disasi, we'll continue to assess. He can bring confidence and experience. He has good passing ability and can also play different defensive positions in a three-at-the-back formation. So for us, he's a good addition.

There's been considerable media coverage about Mateta in recent months. Reports widely covered his failed move to AC Milan in January, and the BBC reported over the weekend that he questioned the validity of his contract. Crystal Palace has confirmed the contract is valid, and he's now an official Palace player. Have you spoken with him? Is he happy? How do you assess his situation?

I speak with him every day. In front of me, he's funny and happy to be here. He gives his all in every training session. I haven't seen any issues between him and the club or us. He started in the last match. You can imagine—if we had a problem with him, he wouldn't have played. There's one matter that needs resolving, but more accurately, that might be a personal issue for him rather than a professional one.

Is it difficult to manage a situation like this?

Clearly, he hasn't refused to play, he participated in last weekend's match, and he still has a contract with Crystal Palace. But clearly, there are other things happening in the background.

How should this situation be handled? Do you hope he'll stay after the transfer window closes?

I think he will stay. As I've told you, he acts like someone who's happy here, wants to stay, and is ready to play for the team throughout the season. So I understand your question, but I have no doubt about it.

I have a similar question about Amine Sarr. Just before we started this interview, there were reports that Liverpool has shown strong interest in him. When something like that happens with a big club like Liverpool pursuing you, isn't it difficult to keep a player?

I also understand that it's very difficult for anyone to deal with this kind of interest, because you're constantly tempted. But right now, he's still with us and still under contract. As I said, he's currently injured, and you could connect his injury to the current situation, but in my view, he's been honest with me, and I don't have an issue with that. I spoke with him about this this morning and yesterday. We simply hope he can get back on the pitch, and others will handle the rest of the issues.

Without naming individuals, is it difficult to keep your top players?

As I just mentioned, both Sarr and Mateta have attracted clear and specific interest, and I know other clubs are also interested in some of our other players.

Do you anticipate that Crystal Palace might lose some of these players and need to bring in replacements?

That's how football is now. We know that when the transfer window opens, there will be a lot of noise and various issues surrounding players. Some players may not be used to this situation, and neither are their agents and family members. So when you're at a club, this isn't a particularly pleasant time. But once the transfer window closes, we just need to focus on our performances and wait for all this to end.

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