1 day ago
3
Mamadou Sarr established himself as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe during his spell under Liam Rosenior at Strasbourg
Liam Rosenior believes Mamadou Sarr has all the tools to become a world-class centre-half. The 20-year-old defender, who Chelsea recalled from Strasbourg on deadline day, established himself as one of the most promising young players in Europe under the Blues boss.
A year or so after Clearlake Capital, headed by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, and Todd Boehly joined forces to buy the west London outfit from Roman Abramovich, BlueCo, the parent company formed as an investment vehicle, acquired a majority stake in the French club.
Then, in the summer of 2024, Strasbourg signed Sarr from Olympique Lyonnais for just €10million (£8.7million). Despite only a handful of appearances in the top-flight, he quickly cemented himself a place in Rosenior's starting lineup.
Sarr featured 27 times in Ligue 1 during his debut season for the French club, keeping 10 clean sheets. The France Under-20 international, who later chose to represent Senegal, helped Strasbourg qualify for Europe for the first time in 19 years, securing a place in the UEFA Conference League.
FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Chelsea signed Sarr in the summer for about £12million, tying him down to an eight-year contract, and he was given his debut by Enzo Maresca at the Club World Cup. Shortly after the tournament in the United States, the defender was sent back to Strasbourg on loan.
Rosenior named Sarr as his vice-captain, but, with Emmanuel Emegha, who will join the Blues in the summer, in and out of the side due to injury, he regularly donned the armband for the French club.
Sarr featured a further 16 times for Strasbourg before the Englishman replaced Maresca in the dugout at Stamford Bridge. In fact, Rosenior put pen to paper on a deal with Chelsea while the Senegal international helped his country win the Africa Cup of Nations.
The youngster continued to impress under Gary O'Neil, but now he's set to reunite with the Chelsea boss. He and Rosenior enjoyed a brilliant relationship in France, which higher-ups at Stamford Bridge hope they can reignite in England.
In an interview with The Athletic, the Blues boss listed three reasons why Sarr can become a 'world-class centre-half'. He said: "His temperament, his athleticism, his ability on the ball… he’s got everything you need to be a world-class centre-half."
Then, shortly before becoming a world champion with Chelsea, Sarr paid tribute to Rosenior. As quoted by TNT Sports, the centre-back said: "When I was a kid, I had a dream, and I trusted Liam Rosenior, and he trusted me.
"He’s a top coach. He believed in me. He taught me a lot about how I can defend better, how I can help the team better. It’s important to me to train well, to speak with the coach, to speak with every player, and to be confident in what I do.
"It’s good for me to have competition. That will help me to be a better defender."
Sarr continued: "I want to be like Virgil van Dijk. I love Van Dijk. But some people tell me I play like Ibrahima Konate. It's very similar. He's a leader. For a defender, it's very important to be a leader.
"Off and on the pitch, I talk a lot. It's an important job. I think I anticipate well. With the ball, I can pick a good pass. When I was a kid, I had a dream. It was to be the best centre-back in the world."
English (US) ·