RC Strasbourg president Marc Keller appears annoyed over suggestion that his side are a B team to Chelsea.
Wednesday’s edition of Le Figaro have published a detailed interview with the 57-year-old, where he talks about the connection with Chelsea.
The Club World Cup winners are owned by BlueCo, who also own the Ligue 1 side. This connection has seen the two teams carry out transfer business in recent years.
BlueCo, a consortium led by Todd Boehly, took over the west London club in June 2022. A year later, they invested in the French club.
During the 2023/24 season, Chelsea allowed Ângelo go out on loan to Strasbourg. The following season, Enzo Maresca’s side sold Diego Moreira and let Djordje Petrovic and Caleb Wiley join them on loans deals.
Last summer, the Premier League side bought Mamadou Sarr and sent him back on loan. They also sanctioned Kendry Páez’s temporary move to France and have an agreement with Strasbourg for Emanuel Emegha to arrive at Stamford Bridge next summer.
When asked about the B team suggestion, Keller has also heaped praise on the support from the Chelsea owners.
“I can understand the questions and reservations, but we’re really trying to work intelligently, to optimise things,” he said.
“People have said we’re a feeder club. That’s not the right term. A feeder club would mean that there are 10 Strasbourg players who, every year, can go to Chelsea, which isn’t true. One every year like Emegha, yes, I hope so.
“In England, they say ‘sister club’. I would say we’re brother clubs. That is to say, we try to help each other within the same family. I don’t see it in a negative way. On the contrary. Our owners are very motivated for Racing. Chelsea is a global brand, and RCSA is an important club in France. The idea isn’t to abandon one club for another.”