CHELSEA owners Todd Boehly and his BlueCo consortium are no stranger to a loophole in the world of football, and their acquisition of RC Strasbourg might be one of their smartest business ventures yet.
The Ligue 1 side are having a campaign to remember as they sit seventh, just four points short of SECOND place and still battling in the hunt for Champions League football next season.
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A matter of weeks ago I travelled to Eastern France to watch the team in person in their 2-2 draw vs INEOS-owned OGC Nice, and I was pretty blown away by the quality of some of their players, not least those on loan from Chelsea, Andrey Santos and Djordje Petrovic.
Their fans are rightly concerned that any major talent they produce or buy will be sniffed around by the Stamford Bridge outfit and lured into the heart of South West London in a transaction similar to when I move money from my current account to my savings.
It’s no secret that Chelsea have spent obscene amounts of money in recent windows, but many fans will tell you that there are still problem positions in Enzo Maresca’s side.
Nicolas Jackson is good, but there are concerns over his ability to be a Premier League winning number nine.
Wesley Fofana is a (sometimes) walking injury concern, and it remains to be seen if Reece James can keep his recurring injuries away for good this time.
So, which players from Strasbourg will the BlueCo ownership no doubt be keeping an eye on, who could be moving to London sooner than you think?
1) Emanuel Emegha
Aged 22, Striker. Market Value: £17m
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He dons the number 10 shirt as a striker, but this guy is a serious number nine.
The Dutch forward joined RCSA in 2023 in a four-year deal worth slightly over £11m, and has scored 21 goals in 52 games since his arrival.
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That said, this campaign he’s got 14 goals and 3 assists in 26 league matches, and impressed me with his all-round play in their game vs Nice.
One of the criticisms of Nicolas Jackson this season has been his threat inside the box, the Senegalese striker is great in build up and has shown technical ability on the ball, but doesn’t pose a huge threat inside the box or in the air.
Emegha provides exactly that.
At 6’5 feet tall, he is a danger in the air and has been clinical when he gets the chance to shoot too, I sat and watched on as he shrugged off Nice’s Moises Bombito before calmly dispatching the ball at the near post into the back of the net.
He may not be the superstar name of Viktor Gyokeres or be Premier League proven like Liam Delap, but he is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Expect plenty of people to be talking about him for a big move soon, especially if Strasbourg do end up playing in Europe next year.
2) Guela Doue
Aged 22, Right back/Centre Back. Market Value: £10.1m
When speaking to Strasbourg fans, Guela Doue was one name that kept cropping up over and over again.
His brother is one of the most exciting talents in world football right now, lighting up the Champions League and Ligue 1 this season with PSG – Desire Doue if you haven’t yet put 2+2 together.
Guela is the older of the two, and is far less flashy on the pitch, rather establishing himself as one of the French top flight’s best full-backs this season.
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As previously mentioned, Reece James fitness concerns have had Chelsea fans at times calling for a new right-back.
However, what makes Doue such a good fit is the style of how he plays for Strasbourg.
Against Nice he was very solid defensively, playing as a right sided centre back and allowing the left-sided defender to push much further up the pitch, which for Liam Rosenior’s side is familiar face Diego Moreira, but in Chelsea’s case would be Marc Cucurella.
When James is fit, there is no doubt he is Chelsea’s starting right-back, but Guela Doue would be a more than capable deputy for him and would allow Reece to be rested somewhat with the Blues hoping to be competing on all fronts next season.
The stumbling block for this move however, could be Josh Acheampong.
Chelsea’s Cobham academy has almost certainly produced another gem in him, and most fans will hope that he can go onto be James’ deputy himself.
3) Dilane Bakwa
Aged 22, Right wing, Market Value £15.2m
I know what you’re thinking, Chelsea aren’t short of right-wingers.
Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto have both joined the club in recent seasons, and they have a supposed generational talent joining in the summer in the form of Willian Estevao.
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So I’m not saying the Blues need to sign him immediately, I’m just saying he is one to keep an eye on.
Ligue 1 has served as something of a proving ground for tricky and exciting wingers this season such as Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Rayan Cherki and this man, Dilane Bakwa.
Outside of Santos and Petrovic, the French forward has been the club’s best player for me this campaign, and has potential to be lighting up the Champions League sooner than you may expect.
He is relatively similar stylistically to Madueke, with his stop-start dribbling causing chaos for defenders and his ability to create chances and shots reminiscent of Chelsea’s current number 11.
With five goals and eight assists in 27 games so far this season he has shown that he possesses the talent to be one of the best wide players in the division, but may just need a bit more time to really compound those numbers next year.
He has also played on the left and at times centrally for Strasbourg, which is something Maresca will like, but he may need to refine his end product before making a move away from France.
4) Valentin Barco
Aged 20, Left back/Central midfield, Market Value £6m
Brighton thought they had hit the jackpot once again with their ridiculously good scouting methods when they picked up Valentin Barco from Boca Juniors.
He joined the Seagulls in 2024, but was quickly loaned out to Sevilla in a move that didn’t really work out for him, before being loaned to Strasbourg, who have an obligation to buy him after his spell in France.
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He plays primarily as a left back, but this season under Rosenior has been inverting into midfield in a similar mould to how Cucurella does at Chelsea – and he has been sensational at doing so.
He’s got two assists in 11 games so far, but lately had his gaffer raving about him after a stunning performance vs Lyon in which he was rewarded with three days off having become a father for the first time ahead of the match.
With Cucurella being one of the best left-backs in Europe as it stands, it is unlikely that Barco would come in and displace him, but Chelsea have no real back-up for the curly headed Spaniard either – something that could become a problem should the Blues be competing on all fronts in the next few seasons.
In his absence this season, we’ve seen the likes of Levi Colwill, Reece James and Malo Gusto fill in there – all experiments that haven’t exactly been ideal.
For now, it doesn’t make sense to take Valentin out of an environment where he is doing so well, but if Cucurella’s form drops or he faces an injury lay-off, don’t be surprised to hear Barco’s name branded about Stamford Bridge before long.