Chelsea snatches Mamadou Sarr back from Strasbourg. A surprising late deal sees the defender return to Stamford Bridge amidst squad reshuffling.
On the last day of the 2025/26 winter transfer window, Chelsea decided to sign young Senegalese center back Mamadou Sarr from its sister club, Strasbourg. It was a roundabout transfer, typical of Chelsea's style under the BlueCo group's leadership.
Previously, Chelsea signed Mamadou Sarr directly from Strasbourg in January 2025, but loaned him back to the French club until the end of the season. Last summer, Sarr officially signed for the Blues and was part of the team that won the Club World Cup. However, Chelsea sent him back to Strasbourg just before the start of the new season.
Despite not convincing former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, Mamadou Sarr became a favorite of Liam Rosenior at Strasbourg. Liam Rosenior's hiring by Chelsea midway through the season was key to his return to Stamford Bridge, earlier than expected.
Sarr has played 18 matches for Strasbourg in all competitions this season and has regularly captained the team, including the loss to PSG last weekend. His contract with Chelsea ends in 2033.
Initially, Chelsea wanted to sign Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes, but backed out at the last minute due to the French defender's demands. Jacquet only wanted to move clubs in the summer, and Liverpool agreed to that.
According to experts, Sarr's potential is no less than Jacquet's. Sarr was part of the Senegalese national team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2025 and played all 120 minutes in the final victory against Morocco. More importantly, the center back knows manager Liam Rosenior very well and could adapt immediately to the current Chelsea team.
Conversely, Chelsea loaned Axel Disasi, who had failed in the match, to West Ham. The former Monaco captain has yet to make his first-team debut for Chelsea this season and has been training separately for some time.
Axel Disasi signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2023 for nearly £40 million. In his first season, he played 44 matches in all competitions, but was still discarded for the following season.
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