Mamadou Sarr made his first start for Chelsea on Friday night and made his case for more regular action with a good showing.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior picked a strong side to face Hull City on Friday night in the FA Cup, but there were a few tweaks to his usual league XI..
One of the most interesting was the introduction of Mamadou Sarr, making his first start for the club after his loan to Strasbourg was terminated in January.
The Senegal star had a very solid game, as the stats showed. Fotmob gave him a 7.6 rating. He won 3 of his 4 aerial duels, and looked really comfortable on the ball. He’s physical, looks calm in possession, and has some decent recovery speed.
Chelsea want to know what they have in Mamadou Sarr
Mamadou Sarr defends against Hull.
Mamadou Sarr defends against Hull. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Chelsea are not going to have many more chances to start Sarr this season, given how important every remaining game will be, and given the competition at centre back. They want to know what they’ve got on their hands and this was a great chance for them to do just that.
Rosenior knows him well from their shared time in Ligue 1 – we wonder where he puts Sarr in his defensive rankings now? There are bound to be some sales at the back this summer, and Sarr will be hoping to establish himself before those big decisions are made.
In other news…
Chelsea are warming up for what could be a busy summer, and there are reports that Elliot Anderson could be on the their list. It would take a massive bid to buy him though.
Liam Delap also was interviewed after the game, and he spoke about how he needs minutes and rhythm to challenge Joao Pedro for the number one striker spot.
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Alan Shearer doing punditry for Amazon Prime.
Mamadou Sarr defends against Hull.
Mamadou Sarr runs with the ball and a Chelsea logo.