"It shouldn't have happened" - Former Chelsea star hits out at Mauricio Pochettino for disrespecting him

Former Chelsea defender Malang Sarr has called out former Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino for the disrespect he showed him during his time at the club. The Argentine tactician was in charge of the Blues for the 2023-24 season and led them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, as well as the Carabao Cup final.

Malang Sarr spoke with L'Equipe about his perception of an event where the manager feigned ignorance of his existence, which he found to be distasteful and disrespectful. He pointed out that Pochettino was, indeed, aware of who he was, as he had tried to sign him in his time as Tottenham manager.

"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," he said (via @GFFN on X).

French defender Sarr left Chelsea for RC Lens in the summer after the Blues agreed to let him leave the club as a free agent. He last featured for the club in 2022, nearly two years before his contract with the London side was terminated by mutual consent.

The 25-year-old spent the 2022-23 season on loan at AS Monaco before returning to a new manager, Pochettino, at Chelsea in the summer of 2023. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss was asked about the defender in a press conference at the time, and he appeared to be unaware of who he was in his response.

Like Sarr, Mauricio Pochettino did not last long at Chelsea, having been relieved of his job at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Argentine manager has now taken over the United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) with a view to leading them to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Malang Sarr left Chelsea the way he came - as a free agent in the summer. The former OGC Nice man has made four appearances in the colors of Lens this season, three of which have been starts.

Chelsea consolidate top-four place with win at Leicester

Chelsea have strengthened their grip on a place in the Premier League's top four after a routine 2-1 win over newly promoted Leicester City on Saturday (November 23). The Blues manager Enzo Maresca returned to the King Power Stadium for the first time since leading the Foxes back to the Premier League last season.

Nicolas Jackson scored his seventh goal of the season in style, finishing a half-volley with the outside of his foot after 15 minutes. The Blues dominated but failed to further punish their opposition before Enzo Fernandez headed home his first goal since February in the 75th minute.

Jordan Ayew scored a stoppage-time penalty for the Foxes to set up a grandstand finish, but the visitors had just about enough to secure the three points. They move up to 22 points after 12 games, a tally they needed 18 games to reach under Mauricio Pochettino in the 2023-24 season.