Lucien Favre gave Malang Sarr his Ligue 1 debut at Nice – but is a Premier League switch on the cards with West Ham United?
When it comes to spotting and blooding young talent, there are few better than Lucian Favre.
During spells at Borussia Monchengladbach, Nice and Dortmund, the Swiss coach has been responsible for the rise of Marco Reus, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Alassane Plea and Jadon Sancho to name but a few.
And then there’s Malang Sarr, the fresh-faced centre-back who was handed his first-team debut by Favre at the age of just 17 back in 2016.
Despite his tender years, Sarr rapidly became a go-to presence for Favre as his Nice side finished third in Ligue 1.
“Malang Sarr scoring his first Ligue 1 goal in his first match was the icing on the cake. He’s got a lot of potential and much room for improvement,” Favre told Fox in 2016 after Sarr scored the winner against Rennes in a Ligue 1 clash.
Three years on, Sarr is now 20 years of age and seemingly ready to take the next step in his promising career.
According to Nice Matin, West Ham United have placed the Frenchman on their shortlist, perhaps seeing him as a successor for the £75 million-rated Issa Diop.
Diop joined last summer after a fine spell at Toulouse and, 12 months on, he is arguably one of the most coveted defenders anywhere in Europe. Sarr has all the potential to follow in his footsteps.
He has Favre’s seal of approval and that is already a very promising sign.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
