Chelsea announce late striker deal after Qatari swoop fails | OneFootball

Chelsea have announced three separate deals with sister club Strasbourg, as two players have joined the French outfit while one has returned to west London.

Strasbourg fans are not happy with owners BlueCo as they feel Chelsea are poaching all of their biggest assets. Not only did Chelsea raid Strasbourg for head coach Liam Rosenior, they have also agreed a deal for captain Emanuel Emegha to join in the summer.

But Strasbourg have also benefited from having numerous Chelsea players on loan, and the partnership looks set to continue.

Chelsea have shipped striker David Datro Fofana and defender Aaron Anselmino to their Ligue 1 counterparts.

The pair will spend the rest of the season continuing their development under Strasbourg’s new head coach, Gary O’Neil.

Fofana scored eight goals in 15 appearances for Turkish side Karagumruk during the first half of the campaign before briefly returning to Stamford Bridge.

We revealed on Friday that Roberto Mancini’s Al Sadd had seen a loan proposal for Fofana knocked back by Chelsea.

Instead, the Blues have sent him to Strasbourg, where they can keep a closer eye on him.

Strasbourg have also announced the signing of highly rated centre-back Anselmino. Sources confirmed to us on Sunday that the Argentine was left frustrated by Chelsea’s decision to recall him from his loan spell at Borussia Dortmund.

Anselmino had built close ties at BVB and become an important player for the club when free from injury.

The 20-year-old was initially hopeful Rosenior would give him first-team opportunities at Chelsea, only for Mamadou Sarr to be selected instead.

Chelsea have recalled Sarr from his loan at Strasbourg, where he made 18 appearances across all competitions.

Rosenior prioritised Sarr over Anselmino as he has a good relationship with the former following their time in France.

Chelsea had hoped to strike a summer deal for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet too, only to miss out on him to rivals Liverpool.

But Chelsea believe they have solid foundations for the future, with Levi Colwill, Sarr, Anselmino and Josh Acheampong all on their books.