Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
On Monday night, Mamadou Sarr made his debut for Real Sociedad after completing a dry loan to the Spanish club from Chelsea – and media from Spain have praised his performance.
Sarr is one of many players to have left Chelsea on loan in the final couple of weeks of the window. The former Strasbourg star holds one of the six loan spots, alongside Robert Sanchez, Jesse Derry and more.
Estevao Willian's minutes
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But he has been made to wait until Monday night to make his debut, with the Senegal defender lacking in match fitness. Sociedad were looking to end an eight-game winless streak away from home in La Liga.
They did just that, with a 3-2 win over Elche, but it was far from comfortable. Sarr lasted an hour before coming off, helping Sociedad cruise to a 2-0 lead. It looked like a pre-game plan to give him an hour.
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Sarr was composed, and Sociedad did not concede a goal while the Chelsea loanee was on the pitch. But moments after coming off, Sociedad picked up a red card. Elche quickly took advantage, scoring twice.
Thomas Lemar, the former Atletico Madrid star, got the first before Fer Nino made it 2-2. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Sociedad rallied and Luka Sucic made it 3-2 in injury time to secure a big win.
Elche CF v Real Sociedad - LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27
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With Sarr, things looked comfortable. El Desmarque praised him: “**(6/10):** Good debut. Less tested in the first half than the second. Strong and effective in tackles, good in the air. Subbed to manage game time.”
Mundo Deportivo said the same thing: “Improved as the game went on. Elche tried to exploit the space behind him at times, but he ultimately prevailed. He was substituted in the first window of substitutions.”
Certainly, a better debut than Benoit Badiashile endured
Chelsea offloaded many centre-backs in the summer. Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo left for good, joining Como and Spurs. Sarr, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi all left Chelsea on loan deals.
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Disasi has made a solid start to life at Palace, and the same goes for Sarr, as he looks to build his fitness. But for Badiashile, things could not have started worse. He came on for 10 minutes as Napoli faced Inter.
Winning 2-1 when he came on, Inter produced a stunning comeback and Italian media blasted the Blues loanee as “terrible”. Not only did Sarr impress, but he’s moved ahead of Badiashile in the pecking order.