Chelsea defender Malang Sarr says he is ready to ‘help the team to the top’ after holding positive discussions with manager Thomas Tuchel.
Sarr arrived at Stamford Bridge with a promising reputation from Nice back in August 2020 but was sent on a season-long loan to Porto last season and is yet to play for the Blues.
The 22-year-old played 19 first-team matches for the Primeira Liga outfit in all competitions, impressing against clubs like Manchester City and Juventus in the UEFA Champions League.
There has been reports that he could be set for another temporary switch away from Chelsea for the forthcoming campaign – after he returned for pre-season training.
However, it appears he is ready for battle for his place under Tuchel and is ready to make his mark sooner rather than later in London.
‘It’s a pleasure to be here, starting to work, we are working very hard and very well so I’m happy. I have enjoyed being here,’ he told Chelsea’s official website.
‘I have spoken a little bit with the manager, he knows I speak French so we have been talking. I have a good feeling here; everybody is very good with me. I can feel everybody is ambitious here.
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‘They want to work and they really want us to give the best every day, and that’s a good thing because that’s how I see things. I really want to work hard every day and try to improve in every aspect. ‘I hope to join the team and help the team to the top.
‘They finished the season as Kings of Europe. I’m here to help and to let the team stay at the highest level, trying to bring all the good energy and my work to the team. I know the club is ambitious and I am ambitious as well, so it’s a perfect match.’
Throughout his spell at Porto, Sarr was in contact with Chelsea hero Paulo Ferreira, who is now a technical coach for the club’s players out on loan.
‘He was really kind with me, he was talking to me almost every day, trying to get news, asking for feedback, checking everything was going well,’ says Sarr.
‘I felt really good at Porto and the main reason was because of him. He was taking care of me. He gave me some little tricks with the language as well!’
He added: ‘To play in the Champions League was a goal of mine since I was a kid. ‘It was great to have that opportunity, see the level and where I’m at.
‘I was happy to do pretty well, we were really solid defensively and that’s the main thing for me as a defender.’
Asked whether he had any Chelsea heroes while growing up, he replied: ‘I was a striker until I was 13 or 14 so Didier Drogba was one.
‘Then the guys at the back, John Terry and Ashley Cole, and then Frank Lampard, all these legends. ‘My father loved Marcel Desailly, too, and would tell me all about him.’
