RC Strasbourg: Ligue 1’s Young Upstarts

RC Strasbourg's rise from a 13th place finish last season to the verge of Champions League qualification this campaign has been a major talking point across French football.

Despite ultimately falling just short – a late Le Havre penalty in their final match saw them miss out on a spot in continental competition altogether due to goal difference – their impressive Ligue 1 form in the second half of season has garnered plenty of attention.

The fact they managed to do so with not just the youngest squad in the division, but the entire traditional top five European top flights, made their performances all the more noteworthy.

With an average age of 22 years old, Strasbourg represent something of an outlier and their youth-focused recruitment policy has been a key factor in both their on-field results but also in raising the profile - and value - of the club, manager, and players themselves.

The tremendous work of the scouting and recruitment department has been gathering steam since 2023, when Strasbourg were bought by BlueCo, the consortium spearheaded by American businessman Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, and which saw them become part of the multi-club ownership group alongside Chelsea.

While the fanbase of the former French champions have been divided seeing their club following this path, there's no denying it's paid off on the pitch this season, as their seventh place finish in Ligue 1 illustrates.

Aligning Recruitment with Playing Style

Led by classy manager Liam Rosenior, this iteration of the Alsace giants plays a hugely exciting brand of football, with the club's focus on signing gifted, hungry young players who fit the manager’s philosophy bearing fruit wonderfully.

Rosenior has been supplied with the dynamic, attack-minded players, who are comfortable in possession, and they have excelled at creating numerical and positional superiorities all over the field to progress through the thirds, no matter the formation they are using

Stretching backlines horizontally and vertically, while also having a terrific pitch occupation centrally, they've frequently asked questions of their foes in their methodical build-up passages.

When watching footage of them on Wyscout, you can see how they lean into their youthful energy and exuberance of their squad. A formidable threat on the counter, with their pace, coordinated movement, and positioning, they transition from defence into attack rapidly and are consequently kings at winning fouls through the trickery of Dilane Bakwa and Diego Moreira.

Andrey Santos: Grabbing His Opportunity

Perhaps the player most emblematic of the current Strasbourg - both in his playing style and general profile - is midfielder Andrey Santos. The Brazilian arrived at Chelsea after star performances at the 2023 Sudamericano U20 but struggled for game time and failed to make an impact on loan at Nottingham Forest last season.

Now at Strasbourg he has been given the platform to show what he is capable of, providing a timely reminder of his box-to-box abilities. This season Santos has displayed his distribution and tactical intelligence, integral towards dictating the tempo for his team, as well as his ability to contribute in the final third with his amazing haul of 10 goals and three assists.

On the defensive end, a quick glance at the tape shows that the 21-year-old’s ball-winning powers have shone equally brightly, as he's been a massive asset in breaking up play to recover possession for his team. Santos has typified Strasbourg fearless and strategic pressing and counterpressing, setting the tone out of possession and being a leader on the pitch.

The move provides the blueprint for the successful relationship between the two clubs. On one hand Strasbourg have benefited from an elite youth talent, while Chelsea have given him vital experience, continued his development, and boosted his confidence.

Whether he becomes a part of his parent club’s first team plans remains to be seen, but if not there will be a long line of potential suitors, which would see Chelsea make a profit on their initial investment.

More than Chelsea Mk II

Strasbourg’s youth-focused transfer policy has undoubtedly been helped by their close links to Chelsea, with the likes of young talents Moreira, Santos, Djordje Petrovic, and Caleb Wiley all featuring over the last two crusades.

But while their link with Chelsea has drawn headlines, Strasbourg have not just relied on that relationship; instead, they've cast a much wider net, identifying elite up-and-coming talent from across France, Europe and the rest of the world.

This forward-thinking approach has seen the club directly bring in promising prospects such as Bakwa, Emanuel Emegha, Abakar Sylla, Sebastian Nanasi, Mamadou Sarr, Guela Doue, Sekou Mara, Oscar Perea, and Felix Lemarechal. Very quickly they have forged a reputation as a great first landing spot for young talent arriving in Europe.

They have also used the loan market well, resuscitating the form of Brighton-loanee Valentín Barco, in a similar fashion to Andrey Santos.

Pascal De Maesschalck, Strasbourg’s Technical Director, has been pivotal in steering the club’s smart recruitment strategy, overseeing a calculated spend of nearly €130 million over the past couple of years.

With an eye on development and resale value, many of these players are seen as stars of tomorrow with significant sell-on profit potential, which will be important to ensure the project is a sustainable one.

Moreover, Chelsea’s acquisition of highly-rated young Strasbourg defender Sarr - due to move in the summer - is another example of the MCO partnership working harmoniously.

Liam Rosenior: Breaking the Mould

While Strasbourg’s player recruitment has grabbed the focus, their appointment of manager Liam Rosenior has played a significant role in their joined-up transfer policy.

Rosenior deserves enormous praise for getting his message across so effectively, overcoming the language barrier and settling into his new surroundings to quickly build quality relationships and implementing his sophisticated style – testament to his coaching acumen, relentless ambition, strong character, and admirable adaptability. His work has been made all the more eye-catching given he's the club's first non-French manager in 20 years.

Having such athletically, physically, and technically superb players at his disposal has suited the former Hull City coach’s philosophy perfectly and been crucial to bringing his system to life.

Melody and Discord

While it's been striking how successfully Rosenior's found his formula on the turf, there has been fan unrest at the multi-club ownership model - with frustrations around being seen as a secondary element of the project.

Positives can, however, be found in the financial stability BlueCo's investment has given them and the fact their stadium, the Stade de la Meinau, is getting renovated and 6000 new seats put in to increase its capacity to 34,000, which is a serious bonus when considering the TV rights issues in France.

On track to regularly challenge for European places in the future, financially secure, and playing entertaining football, much upside can be found from BlueCo's presence in these areas. But with the unrest set to carry on, it certainly makes for a challenging backdrop, distilling the dual forces at play in modern football.

Whatever happens next, the defined recruitment strategy at Strasbourg is part of a growing trend – not just in terms of focusing on youth, but how other MCOs will look to it as an example to emulate.

If you want to find out more about how to use Wyscout for your scouting, recruitment, and talent evaluation workflows, click here.

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