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Feature
- 45 minutes ago
BlueCo strikes again as Chelsea line up breakout Strasbourg wonderkid for future transfer
Suraj Radia
- 18 Oct 2025 15:46 BST
- 4 min read
Analysis
Chelsea’s BlueCo partnership with Strasbourg appears to be paying off after a new breakout star emerged for the Ligue 1 this season, paving the way for a future move to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have formed a fruitful relationship with the French side, which has prompted a number of players move between the two teams and giving Chelsea a first option on some top youngsters while seeing Strasbourg qualify for European football last season.
The connection gave Strasbourg a platform to become the biggest spenders in Ligue 1 during the summer, splashing out €111m, even more than Qatari-backed Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, including €16.5m on striker Joaquin Panichelli.
STATS
Joaquín Panichelli
F (C)
Strasbourg
Joaquín Panichelli
F (C)
Strasbourg
The 23-year-old arrived from Alaves as Strasbourg’s second-biggest ever signing, having scored 20 goals for Segunda Division outfit Mirandes, and his electric form has continued in France for his new side.
Only three players across Europe’s top five leagues have scored more times than Panichelli this season after the Argentine grabbed his seventh goal of the campaign in a 3-3 draw with PSG on Friday.
With reports that Chelsea are already eyeing him as a potential candidate to join them in the future, Strasbourg may have pulled off one of the bargains of the summer and given their parent club their new number nine in the process.
Panchelli emergence gives Chelsea potential buyers remorse in striker transfer
Panichelli has proven to be a revelation for Strasbourg at a time when Liam Rosenoir’s side were seeking a new talisman, having seen captain and star striker Emmanuel Emegha agree to move to Chelsea next summer.
Emegha’s decision led to fury from Strasbourg fans and their misery was further compounded when the Dutch forward suffered a hamstring injury last month after four goals and two assists to start the new season.
But Panichelli has scored four times in the four games since Emegha’s injury, making Strasbourg fans quickly move on from a player who netted 14 times last season and Chelsea may be silently wondering if they picked the wrong player to sign from their affiliate side.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Emegha even features at Chelsea or becomes another player moved on for profit, while Panichelli will first want to sustain his form to continue growing his reputation in just his second full season as a starter.
But the development of Panichelli will be a positive step for Strasbourg and Chelsea as well as Rosenoir, who is continuing to show his pedigree as a young coach, giving plenty of encouragement for the BlueCo partnership going forward.
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