Mauricio Pochettino had no idea who two Chelsea players were in awkward moment - "Who?" - The Mirror

Mauricio Pochettino appears to have lost track of his Chelsea squad already after being left clueless about who two players were.

The Argentine secured his first win as Blues boss on Friday evening. Chelsea batted aside newly-promoted Luton 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Raheem Sterling twice getting on the scoresheet and Nicolas Jackson also opening his account for his new side.

The win sees the West London side finally secure their first win of the campaign after what has been another hugely lucrative and hectic window under Todd Boehly. Chelsea have completed 11 signings this summer, with the American’s spending edging towards the £1billion mark since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

It has left the Blues with a hugely bloated squad, with Pochettino already clueless over a couple of stars. Asked for the whereabouts of Malang Sarr and Jamie Cumming, he initially replied: “Who?”

With a baffled look on his face, he added: "Oh my goodness. I don't know what I can tell you. I don't know because you surprised me! It's like you punch [me in the face] and I am like this [startled]. Because we were talking about Luton!"

Luckily, we've got you covered, Mauricio. Sarr, the French centre-back, has been a Chelsea player since arriving in West London on a free transfer from Nice in 2020. He was sent out on loan to Portuguese giants Porto during his debut season.

Malang Sarr has not played for Chelsea since the 2021/22 season ( Getty Images)

Where do you think Chelsea will finish this season? Share your predictions in the comments below

The now 24-year-old returned to Chelsea ahead of the 2021/22 campaign and ended up making 21 appearances for the Blues in all competitions. Opportunities dried up last term though, with Sarr returning to France for a loan spell with Monaco.

He played 17 times for the Ligue 1 outfit throughout the season but they refused to activate their option for a permanent deal. His chances of first-team football seem remote this season with Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile all ahead of him in the pecking order, whilst Wesley Fofana remains out through injury.

Elsewhere, Cumming is a product of the Blues’ youth system. The 23-year-old goalkeeper has yet to make his debut for Chelsea and has had loan spells with Stevenage, Gillingham and MK Dons over the last few seasons.

Watch the Premier League here

Follow all the pre-season action before the big kick-off

The Premier League kick-off is on August 12. You can sign up for 18 months now for a cut price deal which will mean you'll see all the Premier League action throughout the 2023/2024 season as it unfolds.

From £20 a month

Sky Sports

Cumming was afforded an opportunity in Chelsea’s pre-season friendly against Wrexham. He has just a year left on his contract and looks set to slide further out of contention with the Blues expected to complete a deal for New England Revolution stopper Djordje Petrovic.

Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm1pcnJvci5jby51ay9zcG9ydC9mb290YmFsbC9uZXdzL2NoZWxzZWEtbWF1cmljaW8tcG9jaGV0dGluby1zYXJyLWx1dG9uLTMwNzkzMzE00gFgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWlycm9yLmNvLnVrL3Nwb3J0L2Zvb3RiYWxsL25ld3MvY2hlbHNlYS1tYXVyaWNpby1wb2NoZXR0aW5vLXNhcnItbHV0b24tMzA3OTMzMTQuYW1w?oc=5

2023-08-26 12:55:24Z