Gary O’Neil has hit out at Strasbourg’s owners, BlueCo, for hampering the progress of the French club by signing the wrong players and a poor football operation. The Strasbourg manager was speaking following a string of bad results for his side, and the former Wolves boss lamented a transfer policy during the January window, which he felt “significantly weakened” his side.
The multi-club model adopted by BlueCo, which sees Chelsea FC and RC Strasbourg Alsace’s share ownership was set up to rotate young players between the two clubs; however, it appears O’Neil felt this system had hindered Strasbourg and rather put Chelsea’s interests ahead of the French side’s chances of winning football matches.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers FC coach took over in Strasbourg in January, and since arriving, he has endured a terrible period for his side, which has recently seen the club eliminated from both the Coupe de France and the UEFA Conference League, with the semi-final defeats happening within a space of just one month, heaping the pressure on the coach and causing questions to be asked about the depth of the squad.
The Strasbourg manager believes the club was in a weaker position going into the second half of the season due to the recruitment choices by the club owners, which saw important players leave, or loan moves cancelled, which saw many first-team players no longer available.
Notable departures and arrivals include that of David Datro Fofana, who was sent on loan from Chelsea, and Aaron Anselmino, who joined from the Blues also, but temporarily. Defenders like Mamadou Sarr were recalled to Chelsea, which saw him removed from the backline at Strasbourg, and Ecuadorean midfielder Kendry Paez saw his season-long spell cut short by Chelsea before being sent out on loan once again to River Plate.
The French international said that these changes disrupted his squad’s balance. He also felt that the club had major areas to improve before the start of next season and that the recruitment had to be much better. He insisted that his Strasbourg side lacks numbers in numerous areas, specifically citing that his side needs another two center-forwards to really compete.
“These issues go further than just recruitment,” O’Neil insisted as the club had a “culture issue” to address and things “had to be improved at every level. “The January window proved to be a significant error. “The quality went down, not up, which makes no sense at all.”
His comments, likely aimed at BlueCo, demonstrated a stark illustration of the concerns that have grown around the owners’ multi-club project. The general assumption, shared by many critics, is that the structure is built to the benefit of the biggest club within the ownership group, in this case Chelsea.
O’Neil’s comments were also directed at his own players. “I was angry at their mentality and intensity,” said the coach who admitted that his players simply ‘were not good enough’ in certain situations. The 40-year-old stated that only the players who performed best would remain at the club after the season ended.
“We didn’t show enough desire,” stated the manager when questioned on his team’s performance against Angers. O’Neil’s frustration was clear, and he made sure his players knew how disappointed he was with their approach. “Football is a brutal business. You can’t take your foot off the gas.”
The boss stated that although he felt his side should have put in more effort against Angers than they had done against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday evening, even more frustrating was the way his side approached the big games: ‘you can’t treat big games as a normal affair.’
The situation at Strasbourg is not dissimilar to that of Chelsea this season. The club sits nine places from the top of the Premier League, miles off where a club of Chelsea’s caliber would expect to be, despite a massive investment in transfers. The club has sacked managers regularly throughout the season and has not recorded a Premier League win since early March.
Supporters from both Chelsea and Strasbourg are clearly frustrated with how both clubs are being run by BlueCo, with their own critics saying they cannot see how these two clubs will succeed under one ownership structure. Players have been moved between both teams without thought for the effect this has on their ability to succeed.
However, it is rare to hear managers openly criticize their ownership group, but O’Neil seems to have had enough. His quotes may put him at odds with the owners, but his words could put more pressure on them before the summer transfer window opens, when they will have to improve their squad to give themselves the best chance of competing.
It remains to be seen what the summer will hold for the French side, but after their managers’ damning assessment, it is likely that they will have to act quickly.
