RC Strasbourg president Mark Keller has looked to temper expectations regarding the immediate movement of players between the French club and Chelsea and suggested that Le Racing will not simply be a developing ground for Blues' prospects.
BlueCo, who completed the takeover of Chelsea from Roman Abramovich last summer, have now invested in a stake in Strasbourg securing a close relationship between the teams. BlueCo say the move will 'further our presence in European football, alongside our ownership of Chelsea' and will 'create huge opportunities to share knowledge and expertise'.
It is not a move that has come without criticism, with the French side's Ultras having already shown their displeasure with messages of 'Boehly not welcome' present. However, unlike at Chelsea, the investors are hoping to utilise talents already at the club, including Keller.
Strasbourg's statement read: "The agreement would mark a new chapter in Racing’s history as the ownership consortium commits to accelerate sustainable investment in the club’s growth, including in the first teams and in the Academy, in continuity with the project implemented by Marc Keller, who would remain President of the club, supported by his current management team."
The plans will see Racing receive 'capital that will enable investment in the men’s and women’s first teams, the Academy and across the club' with ambitions for a great deal of collaboration so 'Racing's teams would be able to exchange advice and expertise with Chelsea and the other teams which the owners are involved with'.
For many, this has naturally led to the assumption that there will be opportunity for player trading between the sides, with the prospect of Chelsea developing stars who are not yet ready for their first team in Ligue 1. Taking more control of player development has been one of the driving factors in BlueCo's enthusiasm for a multi-club model.
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Keller has not ruled out the prospect of transfer dealings between the clubs but made it known in an interview with L'Equipe that they will not have such moves thrust upon them as the purpose of the deal. The former West Ham midfielder instead highlighted how the club will have greater backing for ambitious moves of their own.
However, he noted that Strasbourg's Chief Scout will lead discussions for players that interest the club.
“It isn’t the project," he said, “We have had meetings with the sports department to define the objectives. We will have more means to be more ambitious. Loïc Désiré (Strasbourg’s Chief Scout) will have the handle on discussions about players that could interest us if there are any. They also have to want to come to us.”
Presumably those two rules will be in place for any prospective deal for players from Chelsea too.
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