“He’s suffering from depression after what Chelsea did to him last month – Friend of Chelsea star reveals
Malang Sarr is no longer the player he was, and is now edging towards depression as a result of the treatment he is getting from Chelsea., claims the Frenchman’s friend.
Sarr has not made a single appearance for Chelsea this entire season, and was due to leave the club for French club, Le Havre last month, before the move fell apart.
Details of the failed transfer are still unclear, but The Athletic claim that Chelsea reneged on their agreement to pay the player what they owe him in salaries until the expiration of his contract in June 2025.
Apparently, Sarr wanted the remainder of his salaries in full, but Chelsea offered to pay him 50%, only for them to further cut it down to a smaller percentage after the defender had travelled to negotiate with Le Havre in France.
The report also claims that Sarr eventually did agree to accept Chelsea’s new figure, but after he completed a medical with Le Havre, the Blues called to inform him they were no longer paying him anything, and the deal would not be going forward anymore.
Le Havre chief, Mathieu Bodmer seemed to corroborate Sarr’s version of the story when he told Paris Normandie in a chat: “What Chelsea did to Malang Sarr was disgraceful.
“With just a few details still to be worked out, they did a U-turn. They gave the youngster the go-ahead to travel, and a financial agreement had been reached for the 18 months of his remaining contract at Chelsea.
“However, on several occasions, they went back on their agreement, and then gave it again. And once the player had agreed to make a big effort, to come to us on a tiny salary, just to play football, they blocked him.
“Everything was OK, the contract had even been submitted to the league (LFP), but we never received Chelsea’s cancellation. In the end, they just told him he wouldn’t be leaving and they didn’t even answer the phone anymore.”
Chelsea have since denied the claims, but now, a source close to Sarr has told The Athletic that the 25-year-old is struggling mentally as a result of the punishment he’s been handed by his employers, who have now banished him to the U-21s, where he is made to train with academy players, despite not playing football.
The source, who is said to be a friend to Sarr, said: “I have never seen him as low as this. This is the first time I have seen him like this. He tries to change his mental state, but it is hard when you are not playing.
“He is not in the first-team dressing room anymore, he is with the kids in the other building. He feels outside the group. He tries to hide his feelings, but I know him, what he is really feeling.
“He wants to play football and works hard for that. He is completely fit. But at the moment, he does not know where he is going to play. Friends and family go stay with him occasionally. It is important for him to have people around him.
“He loved playing under Tuchel. But some of the closest friends he made, like N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount, have left. He goes to train because it is his job but I know he finds it very hard because any footballer who knows they are not going to play matches will find it difficult.”
Malang Sarr joined Chelsea in 2020, and has been on loan to three different clubs since then. His deal runs until 2025.