Former Chelsea defender Malang Sarr has admitted that he was affected by comments made by Mauricio Pochettino during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Sarr's largely forgettable stint at Chelsea came to an end in the summer when he moved to Lens on a free transfer.
However, that move only came about after a season in the wilderness at the Blues, the versatile defender not making a single outing during Pochettino's solitary year at the helm.
The Argentine failing to use Sarr in a single game did not necessarily come as a surprise after he famously questioned who Sarr was during one of his early press conferences.
When asked by a reporter whether Sarr was in his plans, Pochettino looked quizzical, appearing to say to the club's media officer "who is that?".
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How has Sarr responded?
The incident is now very much in the past with Pochettino having since taken on the head coach role with the United States.
Nevertheless, speaking to L'Equipe in recent days, Sarr has questioned why Pochettino decided to respond in the way that he did.
The 25-year-old said: "I took it badly. It shouldn't have happened.
"He knew me. He even tried to sign me at Tottenham. I didn't ask for an explanation."
Sarr's last appearance for Chelsea came under Thomas Tuchel during the 2021-22 campaign, making a total of 22 outings that season.
That was followed by an unsuccessful loan stint with Monaco in 2022-23, before eventually returning to senior football since his move to Lens.
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How is Sarr faring at Lens?
With the French outfit having missed out on Conference League football after defeat in the playoffs, Sarr's anticipated opportunities have been reduced.
He has made just the two starts and two substitute outings under Will Still, only completing the 90 minutes on one occasion in a 2-2 draw at Strasbourg on October 6.
On Saturday, Sarr was also part of the starting lineup for the 3-1 defeat at home to Marseille, being withdrawn when his side were trailing by a 2-0 scoreline.
Darren Plant
