Chelsea’s purchase of Strasbourg is a huge moment for the club, taking the Blues from a single entity to the beginning of a multi-club model.
BluesCo 22 Limited, the company which owns Chelsea through Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, has kick-started its arms race by connecting the west Londoners to a club in the French top flight.
Chelsea know that they need to expand beyond England to compete long-term and see the acquisition of the Ligue 1 outfit as of fundamental importance to their future prospects.
BlueCo 22 outlined its aims last night after securing almost an entire stake in Strasbourg, making the following statement: “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.”
It gives Chelsea significantly enhanced access to players from Europe again and a chance to overcome prohibitive Brexit regulations that stopped Premier League clubs from signing under-18s talent from the continent.
Ligue 1 remains at a lower level than the Premier League, giving younger players the chance to develop before being sold on and perhaps exposed to the English top flight.
Chelsea can now also not only compete for the best youth talent in and around the UK, but can rival Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Marseille for the best youngsters in France.
Scouts will first have their eyes trained on the half-a-million-strong Alsace region where Strasbourg reigns supreme. They can also venture into Paris, one of the world’s strongest talent-producing urban areas, and the rest of France. Strasbourg sits on the border with Germany, which could help them access that market as well.
Chelsea were attracted to Strasbourg after failing to secure a stake in their local rivals Sochaux. They liked the one-time league winners because it is a well-run club, with one of the lowest debts in France. The club’s general director, Marc Keller, is highly respected and has taken the club from financial disarray to a revival. Keller will continue to run the club and spoke of his delight at attracting BlueCo 22 to further its project.
Strasbourg have achieved Brentford-style success within French football. They do not spend a lot and have overachieved for a decade. They now fill out their stadium and boast a host of good quality local sponsorships.
BlueCo 22 will add an international dimension to Strasbourg. They will benefit from a connection to Chelsea and also the LA Dodgers and LA Lakers to build better marketing expertise. There is talk of an expansion to the club’s 26,000-seater stadium. There will also be an increase in investment in all of the men’s first team, academy team and women’s teams.
Chelsea’s technical director Christopher Vivell will slowly begin to exert some influence in France, offering help in scouting and data to an already successful football operation. Vivell came from Red Bull’s multi-club model, overseeing the impressive link-up between RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg.
Although it is unlikely that Strasbourg will qualify for Europe, the tie-up demonstrates UEFA’s relaxed approach to having two clubs with connected owners in European competition at the same time.
The multi-club model is the ultimate loophole, allowing a type of talent stockpiling that Manchester City now master
Manchester City are the ultimate driver of this model within English football, with City Football Group owning 11 clubs across every continent except Africa. Few players from the network have made it into Pep Guardiola teams, but lucrative player sales for Tottenham’s Pedro Porro and Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz have helped boost the bottom line.
Chelsea used to controversially have up to 40 players on loan, but FIFA’s new regulations now limit clubs to just seven loanees per season. The multi-club model is the ultimate loophole, allowing a type of talent stockpiling that City now master.
Chelsea are now bidding to join them in a long-term battle to succeed in English and European football. Next, they will try to buy a club in Portugal, although Portimonense rejected their initial approach. Rio Ave and Moreirense are two candidate clubs now being considered.
