Emanuel Emegha may not be the only Strasbourg player who joins Chelsea in the new year.
Emegha has already secured a move to Chelsea after the Club World Cup winners struck a pre-agreement with Strasbourg for his signature.
The 22-year-old is currently out injured but has managed to make an impact when he has played. In 11 appearances this season, he has scored seven goals.
How many goals will Emanuel Emegha score for Chelsea next season?
Emanuel Emegha reacts during Strasbourg vs Marseille
Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Despite acquiring his signature, Chelsea could still sign another striker from Strasbourg in 2026.
JoaquĂn Panichelli of Strasbourg (L) and Julio Enciso (R) celebrate
Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Enzo Maresca a fan of Joaquin Panichelli
According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea have Emegha’s teammate Joaquin Panichelli on their radar and are leading the race for the 23-year-old.
The same outlet has also claimed that Enzo Maresca is a huge admirer of Panichelli’s technical ability and composure in front of goal.
At present, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Marc Guiu are Maresca’s three main centre-forward options.
Are you happy with Enzo Maresca as Chelsea manager?
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
However, the Chelsea manager is currently without Delap after he picked up a shoulder injury against Bournemouth.
As a result, Maresca started Pedro up front in Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to Atalanta and is likely to do the same thing again on Saturday when Chelsea face Everton.
Enzo Maresca is the head coach of Chelsea FC during the Atalanta BC vs Chelsea FC
Photo by Davide Casentini/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Joaquin Panichelli’s stats this season
While the spotlight has been on Emegha this term ahead of his move to Chelsea, he has technically been outshone by Panichelli.
Panichelli is Strasbourg’s top scorer, netting 10 times in 19 appearances. Since arriving at Strasbourg, he has also become an Argentina international.
He is yet to register an assist, but the former Alaves man is scoring goals for Liam Rosenior’s team and that is the most important thing.
Going into the 2026/27 season, Chelsea will have Emegha, Delap, Pedro and Guiu in their squad. If the Blues want to sign Panichelli, they are going to have to make space for the Argentine by offloading a name or two.
It will not be Emegha since he will just be arriving, while Chelsea view Pedro as a versatile forward who can help the team out in different positions. All in all, then, Panichelli joining would not be good news for Delap and Guiu.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox