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Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Malang Sarr has launched a blistering attack on his humiliating treatment at Chelsea, accusing former manager Mauricio Pochettino of a calculated lie.
Malang Sarr’s time at Chelsea serves as a case study of a player swallowed by the loan army machine.
Arriving as a highly-rated free agent from Nice in 2020, his initial seasons saw a lack of stability and a series of inconsistent loan spells at Porto and Monaco. While he occasionally filled a gap under Thomas Tuchel, making 21 appearances during the 2021/22 season, he was later relegated to the fringes.
Sarr became the invisible man of Cobham, trapped in a contract that few clubs were willing to take on. This period of isolation, which involved dismissals from the coaching staff, transformed a promising career into multi-club recruitment strategy nightmare before he finally departed for RC Lens.
And now the defender has finally spoken out about what happened at Chelsea.
Alejandro Garnacho's performance in numbers from Chelsea vs Aston Villa
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Malang Sarr claims Mauricio Pochettino lied about him at Chelsea
Speaking on YouTube channel Kampo, Malang Sarr didn’t hold back in his assessment of Pochettino.
“I felt like smashing everything up when he says that because I know what’s going on behind my back, you know. He’s doing it on purpose.
“I know he knows me, he may know me. But okay.
“I would have thought maybe, given that they have 99 players under contract.” The host said.
“No. It’s not even that, forget it. He’s a coach, he watches football, you’re a coach, you know all the players. I would have preferred him to say, “I’m not counting on him.”
This comes after Pochettino claimed he had no idea who Sarr was as Chelsea manager.
Mauricio Pochettino’s treatment of Sarr at Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino’s treatment of Malang Sarr remains one of the most memorable examples of his man-management during a turbulent tenure at Chelsea. The relationship was defined by public disrespect that began with the infamous “Who?” incident during a press conference.
While some viewed this as a genuine mistake with nearly 100 contracted players, Sarr and his camp interpreted it as a calculated attempt to devalue and humiliate him.
This was mirrored behind the scenes, as Sarr was relegated to the Under-21s, denied access to the first-team building, and left without a locker.
Similar to the ‘bomb squad’ Enzo Maresca created at Chelsea, Sarr was treated as a ghost