Chelsea will be hoping that loaning out 19-year-old midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka to France will produce similar results to William Saliba’s development during his time in Ligue 1. The Frenchman was signed by Arsenal for £27million back in 2019 but spent his first three seasons on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
When he eventually returned to the Emirates at the start of last season he instantly slotted into Mikel Arteta’s starting 11 and has quickly become one of the team’s most important players. Now, Chukwuemeka is set to embark on a similar path with Chelsea reportedly eyeing up a loan move for him to Strasbourg in order to continue his development under the watchful eye of head coach Patrick Vieira.
According to GiveMeSport, nothing is concrete yet but a move to Strasbourg is a real possibility. BluesCo 22 Limited, the company which owns Chelsea through Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, recently secured “almost an entire stake” in the French club and are aiming to use it partly as a feeder club to develop young talents.
A statement from the company following the purchase, read: “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.”
Former France International and club president Marc Keller added: “The aim is to enable Racing to be even more ambitious and competitive in a football world that has changed considerably, particularly with the massive arrival of foreign investors in many French clubs and the evolution of Ligue 1 from 20 to 18 clubs.
“The arrival of the consortium should enable us to take this step forward.” But Chukwuemeka will no doubt be a little disappointed if he is to be shipped out on loan.
The youngster believes he has something to contribute to Chelsea and wants to impress new manager Mauricio Pochettino into giving him a regular spot in the first team. However, he could be set for disappointment with Chelsea considering sending him out on loan.
Last season, Chukwuemeka made 15 appearances for the Blues including 14 in the Premier League. He joined the club from Aston Villa in 2022 for a fee in the region of £20m after making his Premier League debut for the Lions at just 17 years of age. Chukwuemeka is widely considered to be one of England’s most talented young players and is a regular fixture for the Under-20s national team.
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