Strasbourg head coach slams BlueCo transfer strategy as 'culture' problem revealed | OneFootball

Chelsea's sister club was knocked out of two semi-finals in April after botched January window

Strasbourg manager Gary O’Neil has slammed the club’s BlueCo ownership for letting him down in the January transfer window.

Former Bournemouth and Wolves head coach O’Neil took over Chelsea’s sister club as a replacement for Liam Rosenior in January, and made a fast start to life in Alsace. He won 6-0 on debut with the club and was beaten just twice in his first 16 matches, but all is not as rosy as it seems.

O’Neil has now laid into BlueCo for ‘messing up’ his January transfer window. The club signed Chelsea off-cut David Datro Fofana and Aaron Anselmino on loan in that window, also adding 20-year-old midfielder Gessime Yassine.

He also lost highly-rated centre-back Mamadou Sarr to Chelsea, here he has since made just five first-team appearances, while another loanee in Kendry Paez was recalled and reassigned to River Plate.

Mamadou Sarr has played a bit-part role at Chelsea since being recalled from his loan to Strasbourg

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“I need two centre-forwards. The owners want to give me the means to perform next season, but we have to improve the culture around the club, the quality of the players, and the depth of the squad.

O’Neil’s comments mirror the widespread discontent surrounding BlueCo’s transfer policy. Their recruitment strategy at Chelsea has focused on signing young, high-potential talent to be sold at a profit, but this has led to a marked downturn in results on-pitch.

Enzo Maresca’s departure, which was followed by the hiring and subsequent firing of Rosenior, has done little to curry favour.

Unhappy: Gary O’Neil

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Supporters have regularly protested BlueCo this season, with Strasbourg ultras jetting into London last month to participate in a demonstration at Stamford Bridge.

O’Neil’s comments do not make encouraging reading for Chelsea supporters ahead of what is expected to be another summer of heavy investment in the squad, which is currently on track to miss out on European football.

The Strasbourg boss continued: "I am angry. I hope that the players are, too. There are two matches left and they have to show me that they have to level to play with us next season. But we won’t get anywhere playing like that," he stated.

"They really disappointed me, even more so than on Thursday (against Vallecano). They have to do better. The world of football is full of sharks. They need to know that. I told them that we were playing a final and they didn’t play like they had to."