Chelsea has kickstarted their multi-club project by purchasing a majority stake in Strasbourg.
Todd Boehly said this move is a method to make sure “we can show pathways for our young superstars to get onto the Chelsea pitch while getting them real game time”.
As well as the Blues’ gloriously talented academy, the purchase of another club can act as another developmental agency, where products can be guaranteed regular game-time away from the English capital.
This practice follows the vastly successful model that has been deployed by Manchester City’s parent company, the City Football Group, and Brighton, who also own Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise, where the wonderful Kaoru Mitoma enjoyed a successful loan spell.
With Chelsea now able to use the same tactic, one of the first beneficiaries could be Elye Wahi.
What’s the latest on Elye Wahi to Chelsea?
According to RMC Sport, Chelsea is set to make an offer of around €32m (£28m) including bonuses for the Montepellier livewire.
If successful, the 2021 Champions League winners would send the 20-year-old to Strasbourg on loan for the upcoming season.
Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in Wahi but are yet to initiate any formal contact.
Mauricio Pochettino already possesses Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, and Armando Broja so trying to squeeze Wahi into a squad that isn’t playing European football would be illogical.
Another year of regular minutes in a league to which he is accustomed is a logical plan and could Chelsea in a devilish position next summer.
Is Elye Wahi a good signing for Chelsea?
The Frenchman has just enjoyed the most productive year of his career to date, netting 19 times in 33 Ligue 1 outings at a rate of 0.68 goals per 90.
His impressive campaign included a spell-binding performance against Lyon back in May. In a 5-4 loss, the forward netted four goals from 1.31 xG (expected goals).
This commendable goal-scoring record places the youngster within the best 7% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for non-penalty goals per 90, and he has forged an esteemed reputation throughout his homeland.
Ex-Caen academy director Francis de Taddeo has described Wahi as “powerful” and “athletic”, with a “range of dribbling skills.”
This summer, it seems that Chelsea is making a habit of targeting Ligue 1’s most talented prodigies, with the English Giant also chasing Lyon’s Rayan Cherki.
The playmaker could cost the Blues around £34m, but he’s already been earmarked as one of the world’s most exciting assets.
Since he made his debut, the dazzling technician has consistently broken records.
In the last few years, he has become: the youngest scorer in Lyon history (aged 16 years and 140 days versus Bourg-en-Bresse Peronnas in the Coupe de France in 2020), the youngest player to play in a Champions League semi-final (aged 17 years and 3 days in the 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in 2020), and the second-youngest Ligue 1 scorer for Lyon (aged 17 years and 258 days against Monaco in May 2021).
However, last term was his most productive and influential as he notched ten goal involvements in 21 Ligue 1 starts.
As well as this ruthless efficiency, he was just one of nine players and the only U23, to record more than 100 progressive passes and 100 progressive carries.
As Chelsea pursues its relentless quest to source the globe’s best young players, Wahi and Cherki would be a phenomenal way to continue this trend.