Chelsea: Mamadou Sarr looks back on his ordeal

The Senegal international opens up

Africa Today at 14:31

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Chelsea: Mamadou Sarr looks back on his ordeal

Mamadou Sarr did not have the Chelsea spell he had hoped for.

After joining Chelsea from Strasbourg in the summer of 2025 and then being loaned back to RCSA straight away, Mamadou Sarr (21, 6 appearances in La Liga this season) was recalled by the Blues the following winter at the request of coach Liam Rosenior. The early return went very badly for the centre-back.

Mamadou Sarr opens up

Sarr had played just seven matches and had been unable to establish himself. The Senegal international says he found the experience difficult.

Mamadou Sarr : "Pour rebondir tu bosses. Tu essayes de déconnecter, de changer d'univers. Tu as le soutien de la famille. Grâce à mon coach mental, on a aussi pu amortir la chute. Sans lui, j'aurais été peut-être encore plus bas aujourd'hui. Le problème à Chelsea, c'est qu'on était énormément de joueurs, surtout à mon poste. Et quand tu rates le train, ta chance ne revient pas de sitôt." (@lequipe)
— Joueurs SN 🇸🇳 (@JoueursSN) November 5, 2026

"It was really difficult, a roller coaster. I came back from the Africa Cup of Nations on a high. I started playing and putting in good performances, but then the game against PSG (0-3) and that mistake came along very quickly. And then there was no news. No sign of life. The first week was horrible, with all the criticism and so on. And Liam Rosenior, who had brought me in, was also quickly sacked... Not doing your job, sitting on the bench watching your teammates play, was difficult to deal with. Especially without any explanations. And at the World Cup, I thought I would play, but I didn't because I lacked match fitness," the former Lyon player said in an interview with L'Equipe.

Now back in action on his current loan, Sarr is enjoying his football again in the colours of Real Sociedad.

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Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.