£120k-a-week Chelsea man told staff he didn’t want to play in League Cup this year, he won’t play the final

Add as preferred source on Google

Reports have claimed that one Chelsea player actually refused to play any games in the EFL Cup this season.

According to The Athletic, sources from the club have told them that defender Malang Sarr told staff that he did not want to be made available for selection as the Blues went about booking their place in the final of the competition.

Mauricio Pochettino is currently undergoing his final preparations for the EFL Cup final against Liverpool at the end of the week, with them having a real opportunity to win the first major trophy of the year.

It would also be the first trophy of the manager’s career in England, and wins over the likes of Brighton, Newcastle and Middlesbrough have given them the chance at Wembley.

One player who definitely will not be in the squad in any capacity is Sarr, whose fate has seen him banished to the U21s for the majority of this season.

This is despite the defender earning a reported £120k-a-week, a figure which perhaps explains why the club struggled so hard to sell him during either of the last two transfer windows.

Sarr didn’t want to play EFL Cup games

He is yet to get a minute under the new manager, with him even hinting in one of his early press conferences that he was not actually even sure who the player was.

With that said, it is perhaps not a surprise that he reportedly removed himself from selection for the EFL Cup, the games where he would have been most likely to make appearances.

As far as the centre-back roles go for the final on Sunday, recent performances should see the positions pick themselves.

Following a great display away at Manchester City, both Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill should be trusted with playing the roles against what could be a depleted Liverpool front three.