Chelsea starlet given green light by Tuchel for January loan, Mourinho’s Roma interested

Chelsea defender Malang Sarr given green light by manager Thomas Tuchel for loan move

According to AS Roma Live, via Sport Witness (h/t football.london), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has told Malang Sarr that he can leave the club this month, with the German giving the ‘green light’ for a loan move for the youngster.

The French defender is said to be admired by AS Roma, who are dipping into the transfer market to look for centre-backs. The Italian side is, of course, managed by ex-Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager, Jose Mourinho.

Sarr has only made one appearance in the Premier League so far this season, with senior defenders Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and Thiago Silva ahead of him in the pecking order. Even amongst the younger defenders in the squad, Sarr has fallen behind academy products Trevoh Chalobah and Andreas Christensen.

Given that he has been used sparingly by Tuchel this season, the Blues boss has given his approval for a loan move for Sarr this month. This could be a great opportunity for the Frenchman to gain some first-team experience and come back to Stamford Bridge as a more accomplished player.

The 22-year-old defender is clearly admired by top-flight clubs in Italy, with Inter Milan and AC Milan also said to be interested in signing the player. Chelsea have lines of communication with Milan and Roma, as witnessed by the summer sales of Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, and Tammy Abraham.

But what about us? Is it wise for us to let a defender leave mid-season without bringing in a replacement? The Omicron variant has come to prove recently that nothing is uncertain in football when it comes to player availability. There have been times where we had to play players out of position because of fitness issues.

So, as a club, keeping Sarr here is the safest option. But then again, the player’s growth and desires have to be considered too. With Sarr only managing to make appearances in the cup fixtures and Champions League group games for us, a loan move would be ideal for the Frenchman on a personal level to go and gain some first-team experience outside.

If the interest from Roma is genuine, he will find himself lucky enough to be teaming up with Jose Mourinho, who has found success in Europe by establishing strong defences in his teams.

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The former Nice man is clearly talented, putting in impressive displays for us whenever called upon and has looked solid at the back. Garnering interest from top-flight clubs in Italy is a testament to Sarr’s ability, with Serie A historically famed for being tactically sound in defence. Either way, Chelsea may well come out of this deal- or no deal- as a winner.