PROFILE | Joaquín Panichelli – the future of Strasbourg’s attack | OneFootball

When it was announced that RC Strasbourg Alsace would be losing their star forward from last season, Emanuel Emegha, to Chelsea at the end of the 2025/26 season, few would have predicted that by winter, he would have lost his spot to Joaquin Panichelli, a 23-year-old Argentinian who had spent the previous season playing in the Spanish second tier.

Joaquin came through the youth academy at Argentina’s Racing Club, in his hometown of Córdoba. By 2020, he was on the books at the academy of River Plate, Argentina’s most successful team, boasting over 50 domestic titles and 18 international accolades in their illustrious history. He never actually made his debut for the senior team, before attracting attention from Europe.

Following in the footsteps of many of Argentina’s greatest forwards, he made the step to Spain; Deportivo Alaves acquired his services in January 2023 for a reported fee in the region of €3m, a not-insignificant fee for an unproven 19-year-old with no senior experience for a Spanish side fighting for promotion from La Liga 2. He made two appearances in the second half of the European season, as Alaves gained promotion back to La Liga. In his first full season with Alaves, he struggled to for game time and did not light up the show on the few chances he was given. Panichelli went goalless in eight appearances (six off the bench) which led Alaves to consider their options for the young South American.

A breakthrough at Mirandes

The decision was taken to send the striker out on loan to CD Mirandes, who are known for their youth development, especially developing young players who come in on loan. This is where Panichelli finally got his first taste of regular football at senior level, and he really took his opportunity in showing the world his talent. Mirandes cruelly missed out on promotion to La Liga in the playoff final, after Panichelli had scored 20 goals and assisted four times to get them there. 

His performances for Mirandes naturally attracted attention from many top clubs in Spain and beyond, and with Alaves looking to cash in, it was Strasbourg, fresh off the back of qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage who secured his signature for a fee in the region of €17m. 

Strasbourg were Ligue 1’s biggest spenders this summer with a whopping €111.5m spent bring in a number of players, of which Panichelli was the most expensive. The 22-year-old Argentinian certainly had stiff competition for a starting place, going up against club captain ‘Ema’ Emegha who had propelled the Alsatian club into the Europa Conference League with 14 goals and three assists in the league the season prior. 

Since joining, though, Panichelli has improved even further. So far, he has racked up nine goals in his 16 games played and is second in the Ligue 1 golden boot race only to Marseille’s Mason Greenwood. The Strasbourg No.9 really asserted his position as the future of Liam Rosenior’s attack in a 5-0 home win against SCO Angers in October, when, but for an impressive display of shot-stopping from Angers’ goalkeeper Hervé Koffi, Joaquin could have had four or five goals by himself. He did net two goals in that game, as the injured Emegha watched on from the stands, just a month after announcing that he would be leaving to join BlueCo’s other club, Chelsea, for a fee of €25m next summer. 

Replacing Emegha ahead of time

With Emegha’s recurring hamstring injury this season, Panichelli has had to step up to be Strasbourg’s starting striker through the middle, when he was probably only brought in over the summer to be a deputy, to come off the bench late on to offer something different to the six-foot-six Dutchman. Nevertheless, Panichelli has since given Rosenior a bit of a headache after performing so well this first half of the season. 

On the pitch, Panichelli blends traditional “big man” No.9 traits with a modern twist; he is strong in the air and an effective target man who holds the ball up well under pressure but also has the quickness of feet and movement that one might associate more with a winger or inside forward. He can score with both his head and feet and shows great pressing qualities that we have come to expect from a Rosenior team since the Englishman joined the BlueCo project back in July 2024. Panichelli ranks in the top 3% of forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions and blocks per 90, and in the top 10% for tackles and clearances. The six-foot-four Argentine is a clinical finisher, combining extremely well with Strasbourg’s Ivorian right back Guela Doué, who has provided him with three assists already this season.

There remain areas for the young man to improve; despite his speed, he rarely uses his speed to dribble past defenders, ranking in the bottom 10% of strikers in Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries and passes. He would not be described by many as a creator, but no one can deny that he is an excellent finisher, and with time could become world-class – the next in a long line of Argentinian attacking superstars. 

Panichelli gets Argentina call

Panichelli’s contract at Strasbourg runs until 2030. For this reason, any club that may come calling in the next few years could be looking at paying a sizeable fee for his services, should his good form since arriving continue. For now, he needs to focus on maintaining his position in the national team setup, after making his debut off the bench in a friendly against Angola in the most recent international break. If called up, he should be one to watch during the upcoming World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

He could yet be the future of Argentina’s attack, and at least in the medium to short-term, he looks to be the future of RCSA’s strike force, too.

GFFN | James Evans