In his post-match press conference following his team’s 3-0 win against Luton Town, Mauricio Pochettino seemed unaware of the current status of two Chelsea players.
When asked about the whereabouts of Malang Sarr and Jamie Cumming, the Argentine coach appeared taken aback and was unable to provide a response to the reporter’s question.
“I’m not going to ask about [Romelu] Lukaku,” the journalist said during the post-match press conference at Stamford Bridge. “I just want to ask about two players who have disappeared. Malang Sarr, who was on loan last season…”
The reporter then had to repeat Sarr’s name after Pochettino interrupted the question and said: “Who?”. The Chelsea manager, looking puzzled, turned to the club’s press officer for confirmation.
After the press officer repeated the former France Under-21 international’s name, the reporter continued: “Malang Sarr, and what has happened to Jamie Cumming, who played the first game against Wrexham?”
Pochettino replied: “I don’t know what I can tell you. I don’t know because you surprised me, it’s like you punch and I am like this [pretends to be groggy] because we were talking about Luton.”
Needless to say, the clip is being shared across social media, with many people under the impression that Pochettino genuinely wasn’t aware who Sarr and Cumming were. You can watch it below:
crying pic.twitter.com/mZdUDvyrNs
— L (@Iewdawg) August 25, 2023
Where is Malang Sarr?
Malang Sarr, aged 24, became a Chelsea player in August 2020, signing a five-year contract with the club after transferring from Nice. Following his acquisition, Sarr was immediately loaned out to FC Porto for the 2020-21 season.
He returned to Chelsea for a brief period before being loaned to AS Monaco for the 2022-2023 season, during which AS Monaco had an option to purchase the defender.
However, his performance at Stade Louis-II was not convincing, resulting in his return to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Although Sarr participated in a total of 21 matches for Chelsea during the 2021-22 season, he hasn’t been utilized by Mauricio Pochettino in pre-season or in the early stages of the current campaign.
Given the manager’s response to the inquiry during the press conference after the match against Luton Town, it seems reasonable to infer that the center-back is now considered surplus to the team’s requirements.
Where is Jamie Cumming?
Cumming, a 23-year-old goalkeeper, was indeed used by Pochettino by during last month’s 5-0 win over Wrexham in North Carolina. The former England Under-19 international kept Chelsea’s clean sheet intact during his 76 minutes on the pitch, before being replaced by Lucas Bergstrom.
The Winchester-born ‘keeper has already had loan spells at Stevenage, Gillingham, and Milton Keynes in recent years. Another move – either temporary or permanent – seems likely for Cumming, who has been at Chelsea since the age of eight.
How well did Chelsea play against Luton?
Chelsea needed to produce a convincing performance against newly-promoted Luton following last week’s 3-1 defeat away at West Ham – and they did just that. Pochettino’s side dominated the vast majority of the match and sealed a deserved 3-0 win thanks to a brace from Raheem Sterling, who also provided the assist for Nicolas Jackson’s first Premier League goal.
Sterling has looked back to his best under Pochettino, who told reporters after the match, per theDaily Mail: “He deserves the full credit for his performance. I’m so pleased for him because he told me that it was a difficult season for him last season and I’m very pleased when the player is happy and when an offensive player can score and assists, for us it’s the best feeling.”