
Chelsea sign defender Sarr from Strasbourg
Strasbourg's French defender Mamadou Sarr has joined Chelsea for €14 million. (AFP pic)
LONDON : French defender Mamadou Sarr has joined Chelsea from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on an eight-year contract, the Premier League club said today.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but British media reported that Chelsea signed Sarr in a deal worth around €14 million.
The 19-year-old centreback, son of former Senegal international Pape Sarr, made 28 appearances for Strasbourg after joining them from Olympique Lyonnais in August.
He has represented France at Under-19 level.
Strasbourg and Chelsea are part of the same multi-club ownership structure, with the French side being taken over by Todd Boehly's consortium BlueCo in 2023.
Chelsea begin their Club World Cup campaign against Club Leon on June 16.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
South American teams lay down the gauntlet to Europe at Club World Cup
PHILADELPHIA: It took until Friday night for South America's unbeaten run at the Club World Cup to come to an end as Boca Juniors succumbed to a late defeat against Bayern Munich in Miami. The Argentine giants' phenomenal support at the Hard Rock Stadium could not quite get them over the line, as Michael Olise's late goal inflicted a first loss in 10 games on a side from CONMEBOL. But the evidence so far in the United States suggests that if anyone is going to stop a European side winning FIFA's new 32-team competition, it will be a club from South America. Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo edged out European champions Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Pasadena while Flamengo, Brazil's biggest club, came from behind to stun Chelsea. Palmeiras, Boca and Fluminense have all held European opposition too, and South American clubs are set to feature heavily in the knockout stages. One factor helping teams from Brazil and Argentina make such an impact is the remarkable backing from their supporters, who have turned out in impressive numbers across the United States. "Amazing, amazing," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany when asked about the atmosphere for his team's game against Boca, as it seemed that La Bombonera had been transported to Miami. "Anyone here who has knowledge of this game knows how tough it is to play against these teams and nearly every game for a European team is like an away game." The support for Flamengo against Chelsea in Philadelphia was impressive too, with a large percentage of the crowd of over 54,000 clad in the black and red of the Rio de Janeiro side. In comparison, few supporters have travelled from Europe, even if large numbers of American soccer fans have turned out wearing the colours of the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City. The last 11 editions of the old, seven-team Club World Cup were won by European sides. CONMEBOL last produced a winner in 2012, when Corinthians of Sao Paulo defeated Chelsea. There is a huge financial gulf – the top 29 teams in analysts Deloitte's Football Money League for 2025 come from Europe. Real Madrid topped the list with revenues last year exceeding one billion euros ($1.15 billion), while Flamengo sneaked in at 30th with 198 million euros. However, they have shown the strength of their squad which is filled with experienced international players including Italy midfielder Jorginho. "These players have played a lot of big, big games in their careers," said Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac when asked about the quality of Brazilian teams. Rio club Fluminense held Dortmund to a 0-0 draw in their first match. "I am convinced that most of these South American teams will pass into the next round," Kovac said. It may also be the case that the often stifling conditions make it harder for Europe's clubs, something Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca hinted at before facing Flamengo. Then there is the fact that Europe's elite sides have all crossed the Atlantic Ocean at the very end of a long and exhausting season, whereas clubs in Brazil and Argentina started their campaigns earlier this calendar year. PSG had played almost 60 matches up to their Champions League final win against Inter Milan in late May. Yet Flamengo coach Filipe Luis, a former Atletico Madrid and Chelsea player, said he did not expect to see such results at the Club World Cup. "I am surprised because I know the quality of these European clubs, especially the elite of football, the absolute elite – it's about 10 or 12 clubs in the world who make up this elite and I am surprised they are having these results." He added: "It is true sometimes that the weather they are not used to, but what I can say is that South American clubs are very competitive." Kompany insisted German champions Bayern just needed to make sure they matched the hunger and determination of opponents like Boca in order to go far.

Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
UK pledges £1.5b to power skills and industry in decade-long growth blueprint
LONDON, June 22 — Britain is poised to publish a 10-year, multibillion-pound industrial strategy next week aimed at backing priority sectors, creating jobs and driving long-term economic growth. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has been working on a blueprint for the next decade as part of its wider 'Plan for Change', under which it seeks to overhaul the country's skills system, support innovation, and channel fresh investment into high-growth areas. Britain has so far pledged more than £1.5 billion (RM8.5 billion) to be delivered through a series of targeted government funds to support skills development, creative industries and sport. Announcing today £275 million to support the training of thousands in roles such as engineering and defence roles, business minister Jonathan Reynolds said the strategy would be 'powered by investing in British people.' 'It will help transform our skills system to end the overreliance on foreign labour, and ensure British workers can secure good, well-paid jobs in the industries of tomorrow.' Alex Veitch, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, welcomed Reynolds' pledge. 'The extra cash investment for training in key sectors, such as defence and engineering, has the potential to be a real springboard for growth,' Veitch said. The government has previously said it would radically change its approach to defence to address threats from Russia, nuclear risks and cyber-attacks. In February, Starmer pledged the largest sustained increase in British defence spending since the end of the Cold War, in response to US President Donald Trump's insistence that Europe take more responsibility for its own security. Other pledges The government has also pledged a £380-million boost for creative industries from film to video games, and more than £900 million to stage major sporting events and upgrade grassroots facilities. But business groups say high energy costs remain a serious threat to UK industry and have urged ministers to act. A June report from manufacturing association Make UK warned that without government intervention, Britain's energy-intensive sectors could face long-term decline. It called for measures such as network cost reform, targeted relief schemes and more predictable energy pricing. Finance minister Rachel Reeves acknowledged those pressures in her June 12 spending review, which set out departmental budgets and outlined more than 10 billion pounds of investment in green infrastructure and industrial decarbonisation. She said the government would support energy-efficiency upgrades and back the development of low-carbon technologies and confirmed the creation of a British Industrial Strategy Council to oversee the delivery of the government's growth plans. — Reuters


Malay Mail
8 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Paris' giant Olympic balloon ascends again — setting the stage for a summer spectacle
PARIS, June 22 — A giant balloon that became a popular landmark over the skies of Paris during the 2024 Olympics rose again Saturday evening, as Parisians celebrated an annual street music festival. As locals danced to live music in and around the Tuileries garden in central Paris, the balloon made its return on a hot summer evening. Organisers are hoping it will once again attract crowds of tourists. During the Games, the Olympic cauldron was tethered to the balloon, flying above the Tuileries garden at sunset every day. Thousands flocked to see the seven-metre (23-foot) wide ring of electric fire. Last summer's version 'had been thought up to last for the length of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,' said Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the cauldron. After President Emmanuel Macron 'decided to bring it back, all of the technical aspects needed to be reviewed', he told AFP on Thursday. Lehanneur said he was 'very moved' that the Olympic balloon was making a comeback. 'The worst thing would have been for this memory to become a sitting relic that couldn't fly anymore,' he said. 'Make the flames dance' The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14 — a summer staple every year until the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 'For its revival, we needed to make sure it changed as little as possible and that everything that did change was not visible,' said Lehanneur. With a decarbonated fire patented by French energy giant EDF, the upgraded balloon follows 'the same technical principles' as its previous version, said director of innovation at EDF Julien Villeret. The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14. — AFP pic The improved attraction 'will last ten times longer' and be able to function for '300 days instead of 30', according to Villeret. The creators of the balloon also reinforced the light-and-mist system that 'makes the flames dance', he said. Under the cauldron, a machine room hides cables, a compressor and a hydro-electric winch. That system will 'hold back the helium balloon when it rises and pull it down during descent', said Jerome Giacomoni, president of the Aerophile group that constructed the balloon. 'Filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium that is lighter than air,' the Olympic balloon 'will be able to lift around three tonnes' of cauldron, cables and attached parts, he said. The Tuileries garden is where French inventor Jacques Charles took flight in his first gas balloon on December 1, 1783. He followed in the footsteps of the famed Montgolfier brothers, who had just nine days earlier elsewhere in Paris managed to launch a similar balloon into the sky with humans onboard. The website is to display the times when the modern-day balloon will rise and indicate any potential cancellations due to weather. — AFP