Chelsea crisis? Wonderkid QUITS Strasbourg as star axed for BlueCo criticism

Tom Weber

Updated: 24 May 2024 05:03 CDT
3 min read

Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea, Strasbourg — © IMAGO

Chelsea's affiliate club Strasbourg are facing a summer of significant upheaval - again.

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The BlueCo takeover of the Ligue 1 club is yet to bear any significant fruit, at least for Strasbourg. While Chelsea loanees Angelo Gabriel and Andrey Santos have received some valuable minutes to help them get to grips with football in Europe, the benefit for the Alsatian side has thus far been minimal.

Despite spending big last summer, Strasbourg finished the bygone Ligue 1 campaign in the lower reaches of mid-table mediocrity, at one point even having to slightly worry about getting sucked into a relegation slugfest. Protests against BlueCo's ownership have been frequent occurrences at Strasbourg games and even some players recently broke rank to air their grievances.

Thomas Delaine admitted to being 'frustrated' with the project so far while defender Lucas Perrin went several steps further and issued a scathing critique of BlueCo's running of the club. This criticism has now had consequences.

© IMAGO - Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali

Duo to leave Strasbourg

According to L'Equipe, Perrin has already played his final game for Strasbourg despite still being under contract until next year. The 25-year-old will be sold this summer. Several Ligue 1 sides and a club in Germany are said to be keen on him.

More worrying for Strasbourg is the fact that Perrin isn't the only one slated to depart. Talented young defender Ismael Doukoure, it is claimed, has informed the Alsatians that he wants out. The 20-year-old centre-back has Premier League and Bundesliga admirers.

BlueCo rejected a €15 million offer from Wolfsburg last summer because they were intent on keeping him, potentially with a view to eventually move him on to Chelsea, but the France U21 international is ready to quit. His contract runs until 2026, but talks over an extension have reached an impasse.