Sound familiar? Furious fans of Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg slam the ‘senseless’ transfer policy of their new owners and label them ‘money without competence’ after struggling in England too
- Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo, completed a takeover of Strasbourg in the summer
- But, the Ligue 1 side’s fans have slammed their work after just a few months
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’
Strasbourg supporters have slammed Todd Boehly and mocked him for his work at Chelsea just months after he completed his takeover of the Ligue 1 club.
Boehly’s BlueCo consortium – who own Chelsea – purchased Strasbourg back in June, with the American having previously outlined his desire to develop a multi-club model.
When their purchase was confirmed, Chelsea refused to comment on the size of the stake but reports in France claimed the Blues’ owners had bought the entire club at a cost of around £65m, with a promise to invest in the first team and academy.
However, despite appointing Patrick Vieira as boss and spending almost £50m in the transfer market over the summer, things haven’t gone to plan, with Strasbourg sitting 11th in Ligue 1 and having won just one of their past five games.
And Strasbourg’s supporters – who also protested after Boehly’s takeover was confirmed – lambasted BlueCo’s early work in a letter to club president Marc Keller with complaints that may be familiar to Chelsea fans.
Strasbourg supporters have slammed Todd Boehly just months after he purchased the club
Boehly’s BlueCo consortium completed their takeover of the Ligue 1 outfit back in June
‘Following BlueCo’s purchase, the 2023 summer transfer window is our first element of analysis and our first major worry,’ the letter from fan group The Fédération Supporters RCS read.
‘The exclusive recruitment of very young players – not yet operational and potentially weakened by their over-exposition, combined with the absence of arrivals of more mature players, exposes the club to a sporting risk from which the owners should have better protected us.
‘BlueCo’s imposition of an obligation to buy only very young hopefuls is senseless on a sporting level and the fans don’t relate to their team at the moment.
‘The supporters that maintained that, since the purchase of Racing, we are only a training centre and a secondary piece in a global business, have gained credit following this transfer window, which seems far from the announced ambition.’
During last Friday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Nantes, murmurings of discontent could also be heard among Strasbourg supporters.
And the anger of those fans was clearly still present as they went onto mock Boehly for his work since taking over at Stamford Bridge in May 2022, with the Blues having spent more than £1bn during his tenure – mainly on younger players – yet they still finished 12th last season and have struggled so far during the current campaign.
The letter continued: ‘Money without competence doesn’t lead to anything good, and the example of Chelsea, our so-called ‘big brother’, who have spent a lot of money but have had a vertical fall down the English hierarchy, is an important reference point: We don’t want to incompetence that reigns at Chelsea at RCSA. Neither directly, nor indirectly.’
The Federation Supporters RCS then went onto highlight their opposition to the growing multi-club model in European football after they became the second team to become part of BlueCo’s portfolio.
They added: ‘Beyond the Strasbourg case, we wish to also remind you that multi-club ownership is a danger to football.
‘The pyramid system that this system is slowly locking into place, and even more strongly than was already the case, risks reducing the majority of clubs to a simple objective of developing young players and helping the few clubs at the top of the pyramid in order to yield a profit for their business.
‘Clearly, it is a very worrying perspective.’
A fan group lambasted the club’s transfer policy and the focus on only signing young players
They also mocked BlueCo’s impact at Chelsea after spending over £1bn since their takeover
Upon announcing their takeover in June, BlueCo outlined their desire to develop Strasbourg into a top eight team in France.
They also highlighted how there would be sharing of resources and expertise with Chelsea, while the partnership would also allow the Blues to use Strasbourg to help develop players, including those from overseas who might not immediately be eligible to move straight to England.
In a statement they said: ‘It is an honour for us to be part of this historic club. We are committed to preserving the heritage of Racing Club de Strasbourg and are focused on working closely with Marc (Keller) and his management team to continue the excellent work they have been doing.
‘This strategic investment would further our presence in European football, alongside our ownership of Chelsea. We believe it would create huge opportunities to share knowledge and expertise.’
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