New Chelsea signing makes hilarious transfer admission

Tom Weber

• 18 Nov 2025 14:01 CST
• 3 min read

News

New Chelsea signing Emanuel Emegha has admitted that he had no idea where Strasbourg was when he joined the BlueCo club in 2023.

The Netherlands international is set to link up with the Blues next summer after agreeing a controversial deal. His move to Chelsea was announced in the summer, shortly after he was unveiled as Strasbourg's new captain.

This further stoked the tension between the Strasbourg hierarchy and the outspoken sections of the Ligue 1 side's fanbase, who believe that their proud club has been turned into a feeder team for Chelsea since the BlueCo takeover in summer 2023.

That same summer, Emegha had moved to Alsace from Austrian side Sturm Graz in a sizeable €13 million deal, a transfer that perhaps would not have been possible without BlueCo's money.

Hilariously, Emegha has now admitted that he did not even know in what country Strasbourg was located before he joined. Clearly living in the past, the striker thought that the city was still in Germany.

Emegha: I had no idea where Strasbourg was

Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad while on international duty with the Netherlands, Emegha admitted: “To be honest, I didn’t even know where Strasbourg was. I thought it was in Germany, but it turned out to be in France. Well, I think everyone knows Strasbourg now.”

The city and its surrounding area, of course, has a long - and bloody - history of being disputed territory between the various French and German states that existed in the past.

Strasbourg was a free imperial city in the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages before being conquered by the French in 1681. The territory would change hands numerous times in the following centuries.

Back to the football, though. Despite the controversy surrounding his transfer to Chelsea, Emegha believes that the BlueCo model is working as intended. “Strasbourg really had a plan for young players like me," he said.

"Well, that’s worked out. I was the first player they started this process with, and next season I’m going to Chelsea. So, it went exactly as I had hoped!"

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