Player joining Chelsea turned down “ten offers” from clubs in England, Germany and Italy | OneFootball

There’s trouble down at BlueCo farm.

Chelsea’s owners’ absorption of Strasbourg has gone really well on the pitch. The French club have gone from strength to strength and came close to finishing in the Champions League last season. The investment from BlueCo has allowed them to sign better players and hold on to their stars for longer.

But the fans aren’t happy, understandably. They feel that their beloved, historic club has just become an accessory to Chelsea, a parking area for young talents and unwanted seniors. They’re not wrong.

It’s come to a head in the last couple of weeks with the tale of Emanuel Emegha. The striker has had two great years in Alsace, and has agreed to join Chelsea at the end of the year. He was pictured at Cobham holding up his Blue shirt for next season, and fans aren’t happy. A banner at the weekend told him to give back his captain’s armband.

Now Strasbourg president Marc Keller has come out to explain the deal.

Keller defends striker from angry fans

Emanuel Emegha at Cobham after signing for Chelsea.

“When Emmanuel arrived here, he was being chased by all the big clubs in England and Germany – thanks to BlueCo, he came to Strasbourg,” Keller explained.

“After a remarkable second season, we received approaches from Italy, England, and Germany. We sat down with the player, his agent, the owners and myself. The priority was to keep him, because he is a striker, a leader, he carries everyone with him. We found an equilibrium: he will join Chelsea in a year, but in the meantime, he stays with us.”

Emegha set for tricky season in front of home supporters

Keller made a special effort to try and reduce the whistles and criticism that Emegha was getting from teh stands:

“The player made efforts. He wanted to stay. For a player who turned down ten offers, it’s important that people know he is totally committed. I don’t want him to be whistled – he doesn’t deserve it. If he has a bad game, that’s football, but not on this subject.”