Chelsea are expected to complete the signing of Lesley Ugochukwu from Stade Rennais with the 19-year-old French youth international midfielder expected to then return to Ligue 1 with French affiliate club RC Strasbourg Alsace on loan. The Blues have moved quickly to secure the teenager who was on the radar of many European clubs and his move to eastern France could be the first of a number of similar moves to come before the transfer window closes. Montpellier HSC's Elye Wahi is also being eyed by Chelsea via Strasbourg and these could be the first moves in what turns out to be a valuable strategic link for the Premier League outfit. We take a look at Ugochukwu's rapid rise with Rennes and his potential with an eye towards his future at Stamford Bridge as well as the role Strasbourg are likely to play in his development.
Career
Ugochukwu made his Rennes debut in 2021 having arrived in Brittany aged nine back in 2013 as part of the 2004 generation of talent and the nephew of former player Onyekachi Apam. He scored his first-ever senior goal in late 2021 against AS Saint-Etienne and his talent was already being noticed by that stage on his way to making 21 appearances by the end of the 2021-22 season. Often compared with Marcel Desailly, he was called up for France's under-19s last year with Ugochukwu also possessing Nigerian roots. On top of his domestic experience, he has also sampled European competition with the UEFA Europa Conference League and Europa League and has over 50 senior appearances to his name despite not yet turning 20.
Trajectory
Les Rouge et Noir are known for their youth development with 2005 graduate Mathys Tel joining Bayern Munich last summer after Eduardo Camavinga had left for Real Madrid the year before that. Ugochukwu was handed his senior debut in April of 2021 by current boss Bruno Genesio -- who did similar with a number of Olympique Lyonnais talents such as Houssem Aouar -- and signed a contract until 2024 that summer. Last summer, Ugochukwu extended his contract by an additional year until 2025 with another impressively consistent season following which put him on Chelsea's radar.
Strengths
Ugochukwu is a strong and physical central midfielder capable of playing deeper if asked to in a defensive role. Using his body intelligently makes him strong in the air, an effective tackler and also well-positioned to intercept and block the ball where needed. He favors shorter distribution as opposed to long so could dovetail nicely with Enzo Fernandez in the future given that he is expected to continue his development in France for now.
Weaknesses
There are few drawbacks from his early showings in Ligue 1 aside from the fact that he arguably lacks a bit of experience which means that it does not make major sense to throw him into Mauricio Pochettino's plans immediately. The Argentine will recall Ugochukwu being brilliant against his PSG side in a 1-1 draw with Rennes back in May of 2021 which effectively ended the French giants' Championnat hopes that year. An extra year in France's topflight should take care of that and better prepare the midfielder for long-term involvement in London.
Strasbourg fit
Since Chelsea owners BlueCo acquired a majority stake in Strasbourg, the French club's business has been interesting. Internally, the Alsace club's leadership and recruitment model has remained the same with Marc Keller at the helm yet the Ligue 1 outfit now has greater means than before. Racing suddenly are capable of plucking talents such as Abakar Sylla from Club Brugge for nearly $22 million and Emanuel Emegha from Sturm Graz for $14 million. Experience such as captain Alexander Djiku might have moved on from Stade de la Meinau but there is no doubt that quality is improving for new head coach Patrick Vieira since taking over from Frederic Antonetti. The former France international knows all about the rigors of the Premier League from his time as a player and Crystal Palace manager so is the ideal tactician to learn from for Ugochukwu. Should the likes of Jean Ricner Bellegarde and Habib Diallo move on this summer, then there will be a need for his midfield qualities while Habib Diarra is another exciting talent to watch out for alongside Ugochukwu and Wahi could replace Diallo. These early moves point towards an exciting future for both Strasbourg and Chelsea on the field, but logically the very best talents will be destined for London.
