Former Chelsea defender who didn't play for them for nearly three years finds shock new club

Chelsea's ultimate forgotten man has found a new club three years after Mauricio Pochettino failed to remember him in a viral press conference.

Malang Sarr signed for the Blues on a free transfer back in 2020 after he left Nice - making 21 appearances in his first season for the club - including eight times in the Premier League.

He spent the 2020/2021 campaign on loan at Porto before returning to France with a Monaco loan the following season.

Sarr then returned to the Blues in the hope of finding himself back into the side at Stamford Bridge.

But his first-team prospects were almost immediately dismissed by Pochettino when he was asked about Sarr's situation in an August 2023 press conference.

A journalist quizzed Pochettino on Sarr and goalkeeper Jamie Cummings following the 3-0 win over Luton after they were not included in the matchday squad.

Brutally, the Argentine coach appeared to have no idea they existed, replying, "Who?".

Pochettino then added: "Oh my goodness. I don't know what I can tell you. I don't know because you surprised me! It's like you punch [me in the face] and I am like this [startled]. Because we were talking about Luton!"

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As expected, Sarr was not part of Pochettino's plans and was banished to training with the Under 21 side after being left out of their Premier League squad and losing his first-team locker.

At the time, The Athletic reported that his friends were "worried" about Sarr's state of mind because of the situation.

He went more than a year without playing, with a transfer to Le Havre collapsing and offers from Besiktas, AEK Athens.

In the end, Sarr's contract - said to be worth £100,000-a-week - was terminated by mutual agreement in July 2024 and he proceeded to head back to France with a permanent move to RC Lens.

After playing 62 times with Lens, who finished second last season and won the Coupe de France, Sarr has now moved to the Saudi Pro League with NEOM S.C.

Fabrizio Romano called the move "a surprise" and claimed that the Frenchman had "five more proposals from Europe".

How did Malang Sarr react to Mauricio Pochettino's brutal put-down?

Earlier this year, Sarr finally responded to the put-down by Pochettino in an appearance on the Kampo podcast and admitted he "felt like smashing everything".

Sarr added that, "to say I held a grudge is a strong word" and that eventually initial resentment from the comment faded away.

However, he is adamant that Pochettino was fully aware of him and he had even tried to sign him at Tottenham.

"In 2019, Pochettino brought my agent to London to convince me to sign for Tottenham," he told Kampo.

“No, I'll go even further. When I came back from my loan at Monaco, I was in rehab all summer at Chelsea - it was just me and the physios - he signed me, gave me a tour of the club, and came to see me.

“He called his assistant, said: ‘Look who's here, we tried to bring him to Tottenham, now we find ourselves working together here.’

“He gave me a hug and said: ‘Oh, you're already on the mat, it's been a week since your operation, did it go well?’ There's no way he didn’t know me!”