'Shameful' Chelsea blasted by sporting director after failed transfer

Tom Weber

• Updated: 2 Feb 2024 18:35 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have been slammed by Le Havre's sporting director after Malang Sarr's failed move.

The French defender has not featured for Chelsea since May 2022. A remnant of the Roman Abramovich era, Sarr is reportedly among the Blues' best-paid players, yet the 25-year-old can't get a game.

Indeed, in the summer, Mauricio Pochettino was asked about the versatile defender's future and he appeared to not even know who Sarr was. The Frenchman has not been part of any Chelsea matchday squad this term and he was heavily linked with a January exit.

Before the window opened, Celta Vigo, coached by ex-Liverpool and Blues boss Rafa Benitez, were reportedly plotting a move for the winter window, but nothing ultimately materialised. Instead, Le Havre attempted a late swoop for Sarr on Deadline Day.

Bodmer slams Chelsea

However, the deal ultimately collapsed. Despite the player having already been on-site to do his medical, Sarr eventually had to travel back to England. According to reports, Chelsea first shifted the goalposts on the conditions of the deal, apparently backtracking on their agreement to terminate the player's contract.

They then returned with a different offer, to which Sarr nevertheless agreed. However, the move still fell through because Chelsea allegedly failed to submit the necessary documents in time for the transfer to be made official.

This means that Sarr will be stuck at Stamford Bridge until the summer at the very least, with his contract still running until 2025. Former PSG player and current Le Havre sporting director Mathieu Bodmer slammed Chelsea over this, telling Paris-Normandie: “It is shameful what they did to him.”

Chelsea are rapidly becoming a hugely unpopular club in France, having also managed to rile up Strasbourg fans on Deadline Day. Supporters of the Blues' French sister club were left fuming when Andrey Santos arrived on loan, which they see as further proof that their side is being turned into a Chelsea farm team.