“It is shameful what they did to him” – Club sporting director hits out at Chelsea after failed transfer in January
The Sporting Director of French outfit Le Havre has slammed Chelsea for their treatment of outcast Malang Sarr. The Blues failed to allow the defender, who currently trains with their U-21 squad, to move to the French club.
Chelsea signed Sarr for free during the Roman Abramovich era, and the Frenchman managed to become a first-team regular after spending a season on loan at FC Porto. The 25-year-old last appeared for the club in May 2022 and spent the 2022-23 season on loan at AS Monaco, where he made appearances in Ligue 1.
Sarr has not been in the plans of manager Mauricio Pochettino this season, with the Argentine manager seemingly unaware of who the defender was when asked in pre-season. The Frenchman has spent the entirety of the first half of the season training with the club\’s U-21s despite his significant wages.
Le Havre made contact with the former Nice man for a January transfer, and the defender had reached an agreement with them. Chelsea initially agreed to terminate the contract of the Frenchman before reneging on the agreement for a termination on deadline day.
Former Ligue 1 star Mathieu Bodmer, now director of Le Havre, was disappointed with Chelsea for how they managed the situation. He told Paris-Normandie that he felt that they were unfair to Malang Sarr, who now remains stuck at the club after their failure to terminate his contract.
“It is shameful what they did to him.”
Sarr had interest from Spain, too, but the interest from Celta Vigo did not materialise in the January window. The Frenchman will now continue training with the U-21 side until the end of the season, when he will try to leave the club again.
Chelsea set to welcome Nicolas Jackson back for Wolves clash
Chelsea will have striker Nicolas Jackson available for their match against Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend. The 22-year-old Senegalese international is back in the squad after spending the last two weeks with his national team at the AFCON.
Pochettino already sanctioned the loan of Albanian striker Armando Broja to Fulham until the end of the season, for him to play regularly. The manager now has Jackson as his only senior striker, while Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer can also play in the position.
Jackson did not make a single start for Senegal as they crashed out of the AFCON at the quarterfinal stage. He will be keen to return to action and add to his eight goals for the Blues this season.