Kante, Essien, Makelele: New Chelsea man names biggest Blues hero

Mamadou Sarr officially completed his transfer to Chelsea on Monday, arriving at Cobham for his first experience of his new environment on Monday.

The defender, previously praised by former manager at Strasbourg, Liam Rosenoir, has spoken of his joy after completing his transfer to the Blues on an eight-year deal.

The defender explicitly stated his dream is to secure both the Premier League and Champions League trophies with Chelsea, stating that he can draw considerable inspiration for reaching these goals from the numerous successful French and French-speaking players who have made their mark at Stamford Bridge. 

Sarr then shared his vivid memories of watching the Blues from afar before joining, specifically recalling the impactful performances of N'Golo Kante when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021, and the team's victory in the 2012 Champions League featuring Didier Drogba, as well as subsequent successes with Eden Hazard.

“When Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021, there was the performance of [N’Golo] Kante and so many players,” Sarr told Chelseafc.com. 

“I remember the Champions League in 2012 with [Didier] Drogba, and then winning matches with [Eden] Hazard after that.

“I admired Kante of course. There is [Claude] Makelele too. And there are Francophones like [Michael] Essien, Drogba, Hazard. 

“The best for me is Kante but there are so many Chelsea players I remember admiring. Frank Lampard, Ramires…”

The 19-year-old joined Chelsea from Strasbourg, a partner club under the BlueCo ownership, in a deal reportedly worth £12 million. He made 28 appearances for Strasbourg last season.

Enzo Maresca’s team will face LAFC on June 16, Flamengo on June 20 and ES Tunis five days later in their Club World Cup campaign