Chelsea's transfer policy over recent years has certainly come under close scrutiny, and the recent rise in Malang Sarr's profile is doing them no favours. The Blues began the Todd Boehly era by spending untold amounts of money in a bid to procure the best talent from around the world.
Somewhere along the line, and likely in response to Financial Fair Play rules, Chelsea pivoted to signing the best young talent in the world, and that policy has also attracted criticism, with the Blues arguably lacking polished stars that can take them to next level, which is to say becoming title contenders.
What Chelsea have been pretty good at is making quick decisions on whether players are good enough rather than spending years trying to make unsuccessful signings work. That can cost a club, but Chelsea have been more ruthless in their decision-making, and while they have been criticised, it has worked in most cases.
But with quick decisions often comes regret, and there have been cases where Chelsea have made the wrong decision, with players going on to do well elsewhere. Some that could just be a change of scenery and a player suiting a different setting better.
That applies to all of us in life, with different jobs working differently for different people, but it's a little more controversial in football, given it is perceived as bad talent assessment whenever a player goes on to do well elsewhere.
Malang Sarr must be leaving Chelsea with plenty of regret
One of those players is Malang Sarr, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer from FC Porto in 2020. He went on to make just eight league appearances, regularly spending time out on loan before joining Lens permanently in 2024 on a free deal, agreeing to cancel his contract first.
Sarr has thrived with Lens, making 46 league appearances since his arrival, playing a key part in a hugely impressive season that has seen the French side involved in the Ligue 1 title race. It looks as though they will come up short to PSG, now four points behind having played a game more, but they are Champions League-bound, capping an excellent campaign.
Sarr has been vital, making 27 league appearances, and he is currently the starting the joint-best centre-back in Ligue 1 for the season, according to WhoScored, with an average rating of 7.1, the same as Charlie Cresswell of Toulouse.
Foot Mercato (as per GFFN) are now reporting that Sarr's standout season has seen him become a target for Premier League clubs ahead of the summer, while clubs in Saudi Arabia are also said to be interested.
Lens can make a big profit on the deal, given they signed him for free, but they will want to keep hold of him, given his importance and the fact they will be preparing for the Champions League next season.
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