‘I need two strikers’ – BlueCo receive official summer transfer request
11 May 2026 08:59 BST |
5 min read
Strasbourg boss Gary O’Neil has told the club’s BlueCo ownership that he “needs two strikers” during the upcoming summer transfer window following their 1-1 draw against Angers on Sunday.
The French side crashed out of the Europa Conference League on Thursday after a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Rayo Vallecano and they are now unable to qualify for any European competition this term after picking up just four points in their last four Ligue 1 fixtures.
Strasbourg are currently eighth in the French top flight table and fan unrest continues to underpin their season, with club captain Emmanuel Emegha involved in a fiery exchange with supporters after the loss to Rayo Vallecano.
The Dutchman will leave this summer, however, with Strasbourg’s sister club Chelsea having already finalised a deal to bring him to Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Furthermore, David Datro Fofana will also return to Chelsea when his loan spell at Strasbourg expires this summer, and O’Neil is keen for the club’s ownership to dip into the market for reinforcements when the transfer window opens.
BlueCo are currently focused on finding Chelsea’s next permanent manager, following the sacking of Liam Rosenior last month, but O’Neil lodged a formal plea for signings during his post-match press conference after the draw versus Angers.
Gary O’Neil makes Strasbourg transfer request
Speaking to reporters after the match, O’Neil admitted (via The Team): “We didn’t do enough to win, we didn’t have the quality for it. We got what we deserved. Monaco lost and we had the opportunity to close the gap on them. We blew it.
“It’s kind of a symbol of our season. We can do so much better. I’m angry. I hope the players are too. There are two games left and they have to show me they’re good enough to play with us next year. But with a performance like tonight, we won’t achieve anything playing like that.
“They disappointed me so much, even more than on Thursday. They have to do better. Football is a shark tank, they need to realize that. I told them we were playing a Cup final and we really didn’t play the way we should have.”
O’Neil added: “We really need to work hard this summer to be better. We’ve already had meetings about recruitment. I need two strikers. The owners want to give me the resources to perform next season. But we also need to improve the club culture, the quality of the players, and the squad depth.
“We messed up in January, during the transfer window. We weakened ourselves instead of strengthening the team.”
In January, Chelsea recalled Mamadou Sarr from his loan spell at Strasbourg, in order to provide Rosenior with an additional central defender, but he has only amassed 92 minutes of Premier League action since his return to Stamford Bridge and he wasn’t even included in the matchday squad to face Liverpool on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kendry Paez was also recalled by the Blues, Felix Lemarechal was sold to Club Brugge, Eduard Sobol joined Jablonec on a free transfer, and Milos Lukovic, Pape Demba Diop, Saidou Sow, Abakar Sylla, Rabby Nzingoula and Rayane Messi were sent out on loan.
In regards to incomings, Strasbourg signed USL Dunkerque winger Gessime Yassine, while Aaron Anselmino and the aforementioned Datro Fofana joined on loan from Chelsea.
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