Chelsea defender Malang Sarr was expected to join the French club Le Havre on deadline day.
The 25-year-old Frenchman has not had ample opportunities at Stamford Bridge and he needed to leave in order to get his career back on track with regular football.
The French outfit were confident of signing the player before the window closed but the transfer collapsed in the end. According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea and the defender agreed on a mutual termination of the contract but the London club went back on their agreement. The defender had reportedly agreed to all of their terms so that he could leave the club.
Sarr had already travelled to Le Havre and completed his medical with the French club. He is set to return to the United Kingdom now.
The defender was not a part of Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team plans during the first half of the season and he is likely to be on the fringes of the first-team in the coming months as well.
Meanwhile, Le Havre sporting director Mathieu Bodmer has slammed the Premier League club for their treatment of the player. Speaking to Paris Normandie, the sporting director of the French club revealed that Chelsea’s treatment of the 25-year-old was shameful.
He said: “It is shameful what they did to him.”
It will be interesting to see if the Frenchman is afforded some game time in the coming months. He needs to play regularly at this stage of his career and leaving Chelsea permanently will be a priority for him in the coming months. It is fair to assume that a move at the end of the season is highly likely.