Chelsea put world-leading teen within their grasp
Robin Bairner
- 25 Nov 2023 11:00 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea will have watched on contentedly as Habib Diarra signed a new contract with Strasbourg this week.
The 19-year-old midfielder came into his own with the Ligue 1 side in the second half of last season and has continued to show promise in this campaign.
The France U21 may not be directly on the books of Chelsea, but you better bet that the Senegal-born teenager is firmly on the Blues’ radar given that Strasbourg is a sister club to the Premier League giants as both are owned by BlueCo.
Just has been the case at Stamford Bridge, there is a focus on young talent in eastern France, and though Patrick Vieira is struggling to get the best out of it, Diarra is a shining light for Racing.
“This new contract extension demonstrates Habib’s attachment to Racing and the confidence the club places in him,” Strasbourg president Marc Keller declared after Diarra put pen to paper on a deal that runs until 2028.
𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐁 2⃣0⃣2⃣8⃣
Notre Alsacien voit la vie en 💙🤍#LaForceDunePassion pic.twitter.com/ApXMG452Sp— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (@RCSA) November 23, 2023
“We are working for the future and he is an integral part of our project. Habib is an excellent player who will be able to continue his progress with us and bring all his talent to the team. It is also a source of pride for us to see a player trained at Racing succeed at the highest level, it demonstrates the very good work done at our academy.”
Diarra, meanwhile, spoke of his desire “to give my best and continue to progress under the blue jersey”.
By 2028, though, he may well be in a different blue shirt if he continues his progress.
Diarra has key player potential at Chelsea
According to data analytics experts SciSports, among attacking midfielders under the age of 20, there are only two players better presently in the word game: Bilal El Khannouss of Genk and Red Bull Salzburg’s Oscar Gloukh.
SciSports also believe that Diarra has a higher potential ceiling than the Israel international and has the capacity to become a key player at Chelsea in the future.
He is not a typical player for the type of role Strasbourg have used him in, though. His strengths are primarily defensive, and he shows attributes most closely associated with box-to-box player, ranking especially well for prevention and defensive positioning.
Chelsea might already have their next Moises Caicedo up their sleeves in the form of the Strasbourg teenager.
