In the midst of all the excitement at Stamford Bridge last summer, a new signing flew a little under the radar.
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Chelsea intercepted French midfielder Malang Sarr on a free transfer after his contract with Nice expired and immediately sent him on loan to Porto to continue his development, in a move that would give Sarr the high level of experience he needed to compete for a place by the bridge.
Does he have it? Type.
Sarr has undergone a mixed season Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Sarr has succeeded with 19 matches for Porto this season, of which 15 have come as a start. Those are some solid minutes, but when you consider that he has already failed to play in 17 games, you will see how this marriage has not worked out exactly.
Now Record (via Sport Witness) says that Sarr has not done enough to convince Porto to press his signature on a permanent basis, and the 22-year-old does not want to stay anyway. His sights are on Chelsea, and that can only be good.
Chelsea have planned to sign a young, experienced midfielder this summer, but the problem is that many of them now appear to be unavailable.
Dayot Upamecano joins Bayern Munich and Ibrahima Konate looks like he’s on his way to Liverpool, Atletico Madrid want almost £ 100m for Jose Gimenez and the hail hunt for David Alaba seems fruitless.
Konate is on Chelsea’s radar Christian Kaspar-Bartke / Getty Images
Of course, the list is not exhausted yet. Niklas Sule, Jules Kounde, Pau Torres … there is a lot around, but we are now looking at goals that were lower on the priority lists or big money signings that would only be made in a panic (hi Kepa Arrizabalaga). When the plan is to spend over 100 million pounds on Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, you can not really afford to squirt out on a midfielder that you do not want.
This is where Sarr comes in.
While Sarr has not set the world on fire this season, reports suggest he has been solid. He has actually only lost three times this season, two of which were against Manchester City and Juventus in the Champions League.
Regularly deployed as either a left-back midfielder or a left-back, Sarr has done a decent job when Sergio Conceicao urges him, but most importantly, he has gained experience in the same type of positions he may need for Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
There is a place in Chelsea’s squad for Sarr | Gualter Fatia / Getty Images
A left-handed (or rather left-footed) defender has been missing at Chelsea this season. We have seen Emerson sometimes distributed centrally to counteract it, so it is clear that Tuchel is keen to try everything to sort out that position.
With Emerson’s rumor that he’s on his way to the front door, Sarr should be considered as an option to come in and cover for beginners. He can become a drip-fed experience and be shaped into a regular starter.
To say that Sarr is ready for a permanent starting point would be a stretch. He is impressive in possession but has committed a lapse of concentration more than once in recent years. He was paralyzed after a recent show of terror against Braga (the only non-European loss he has tasted this year), and this is not the first time we have seen him lose his composure.
Fortunately, playing behind three is a little extra stability. We’ve seen Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, two of England’s most misguided defenders last season, turn into stars in Tuchel’s back three, and the boss could have the same impact on Sarr.
Tuchel has already done wonders with Chelsea’s misguided defense Pool / Getty Images
Sarr is not the finished product yet, but he fits the bill as a young, experienced centerback. He’s the type of player Chelsea want to sign, so why spend money when he’s already in the book?
Tuchel will have his work cut out for him with Sarr and his concentration decline, but you would have said the same with Christensen and Rudiger. They have looked like two of the best defenders in Europe in 2021, and Sarr can benefit from the same thing.
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