Chelsea’s signing of Malang Sarr did seem to come from nowhere, so you always got the impression that he was being signed as a depth option who they would look to develop.
Frank Lampard’s squad are also packed at left back and centre back so there’s no need to keep him around for emergencies either, so heading back to France on loan might be the best thing for him.
St Etienne look set to sell their prized young centre back Wesley Fofana to Leicester City, so you have to think that they’ll be looking for a replacement for this season at least:
Official | St Étienne announce deal with Leicester City for the sale of Wesley Fofana. More follows.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) September 29, 2020
The rumours about Sarr moving to St Etienne on a loan spell emerged very shortly after this, and working with his old manager should also be appealing:
St Étienne are strongly considering making a formal loan offer to Chelsea for Malang Sarr, who would be delighted to join back up with Claude Puel, who gave him his first shot at OGC Nice. https://t.co/wuBMgFNvBe
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) September 29, 2020
If he’s not going to play at Stamford Bridge then this will allow him to play regularly and continue to develop, so it won’t be a surprise to see this happen once the Fofana deal is fully completed.