‘I didn’t let my head drop’ – Pape Matar Sarr on his journey from Conte to Postecoglou

Pape Matar Sarr believes his success under Ange Postecoglou stems from the hard work he put in while Antonio Conte was in charge of Tottenham Hotspur (Mirror).

The Senegal starlet was signed from Metz by Spurs back in 2021, but remained with the Ligue 1 side for the 2021/22 season in order to continue getting regular minutes under his belt.

When Sarr finally arrived in North London in the summer of 2022, there was a lot of excitement about what the youngster could bring to the midfield. Unfortunately, even after a sensational performance at the San Siro in the Champions League, Sarr was never quite handed a regular spot by Antonio Conte.

However, the youngster says he was working hard behind the scenes to keep his eye on the prize and is now being rewarded for those efforts at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou.

Sarr has been a near-permanent fixture of an impressive new-look Spurs this season and most recently pulled off a superb assist to open the scoring for the Lilywhites away to Aston Villa at the weekend.

Pape Matar Sarr
Credit: Ollie Watkins (@watkinsstudio)

Pape Matar Sarr is prepared to put the hard work in

On his time under Conte, and playing at the San Siro, Sarr told The Mirror: “They’re moments I’ll remember forever. Playing in big games like that is a dream come true, what you aim for as a youngster. Irrespective of the results, which didn’t go our way, they were still fantastic experiences.”

On his recent form, he added: “I’d like to think that’s partly down to all the hard work I did in that first year.

“Although I wasn’t playing, I didn’t let my head drop or my desire and belief to decrease. I will never stop believing in my ability and myself. Now I’m playing, it’s great. It feels like a return on that hard work.

“But I’m honest enough with myself to realise that nothing has been achieved yet. I’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn. Maybe the easy part is getting to the top. The hard bit is actually maintaining that level and staying there.”

Spurs Web Opinion:

Mentality is often just as important as skill in the modern game and it appears Sarr has a good head screwed onto his shoulders. That will go a long way under Ange Postecoglou, in particular. I am predicting exciting things to come for Sarr over the next two years.

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