This summer, Dutch Under-20 international Emmanuel Emmega joined Strasbourg in Ligue 1 for 12 million euros, and the youngster, born in 2003, has a terrifying physicality: Emmega is 195 meters, but the most amazing thing is that it has very good explosiveness and speed, and the ability to bounce is also quite good. In fact, he is not a "high-man" striker at all, but a "runner" who has a wide range of motion and likes to move forward with the ball.
If you go to see the highlights of the Edgar echelon period, then you will definitely see a very peculiar scene. The tall Edgar is almost a head taller than most players and stands out on the pitch, but instead of staying in the box and waiting for his team-mates to feed him as people of his height often do – on the contrary, Edgar is always full of energy, not content with moving around the box, but often pulls up the side to dribble the ball or receives passes from teammates in midfield. He has a strong presence on the court, and although Emmega is still a little thin in terms of his physique, he is physically fit enough to take on most opponents.
In the past, at one point, we would have a response to more than 18 meters or 1The 85-metre player was surprised to see the ball on the flank, but now we have seen a lad like Emega, who is close to 2 metres, constantly darling forward with the ball. Perhaps this is a trend in modern football – as players like Rafael Leao begin to opt for wide flanks as an incision into opposition defences, there is an expectation of more attacking players in the future who combine the height, goalscorer and speed and dribbling skills of the traditional number nine, who will inevitably make defenders increasingly difficult to deal with.
In fact, Emmega is also a rising star in European football. Playing for Austrian league side Graz Storm, Emega remains on the 100-man shortlist for the 2023 Golden Boy AwardIt is worth mentioning that he also played alongside Højlund during his time at Graz Storm. It was not easy for Strasbourg to sign Emmega this summer: Emmega was signed under contract with Graz Storm until 2026, and the clubs interested in buying him also included AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Red Bull Salzburg, and finally Strasbourg signed Emmega, who was under 20 years old at the time, for more than 10 million euros, and handed him the number 10 shirt, which symbolizes the core.
Given Strasbourg's background, Emmega's move is all the more interesting – at the end of June this year, the Blueco consortium had just acquired almost all of Strasbourg's shares for £65 million, becoming Strasbourg's new shareholder. The Blueco consortium was the same as the one that bought Chelsea in 2022, which means that Strasbourg is actually controlled by the current controversial Chelsea owner Boehly.
After being bought by the Boehly consortium, Strasbourg, like Chelsea, began to become big buyers in the transfer market. In this summer's transfer window, Strasbourg spent a total of nearly 60 million euros to acquire players, including four players with a transfer fee of more than 10 million euros: Ivory Coast defender Abacal Sila worth 20 million euros, Bordeaux duo Mwanga and Bagua, who are worth 10 million euros, and Emmega with a transfer fee of 13 million euros. Although Strasbourg's commitment is not impressive compared to Premier League teams, they are already one of the clubs that have invested the most in Ligue 1. In addition to their strong support for Strasbourg in the transfer market, the American consortium has also chosen a well-known coach for the team – former France international Patrick Vieira took over the reins of Strasbourg in July, and the two sides began working together on a three-year contract.
Boehly's plan is to build a football group with internal hematopoietic and blood supply capabilities, following the example of City Football Group and Red Bull, so they actually have a long-term plan for Strasbourg. In the case of Emega, it was Chelsea who were first rumored to be involved with him, but it was Strasbourg who eventually signed him. However, in the eyes of many, Emmega is not much different from Andre Santos, David Washington and Pais, all of whom are part of Chelsea's plans for the future. Of course, the list should also include Angelo Borges and Hugoschukou: in addition to Emega, Strasbourg also has another player on loan at Chelsea – the Blues brought in talented Brazilian winger Angelo from Santos for €15 million, then loaned Angelo to his 'satellite' Strasbourg, and the Frenchman Hugoshukou, who has remained in the Chelsea squad this season, was once very close to playing alongside Emaga.
In late July, at Strasbourg's home stadium, the Rameno Stadium, Emega showed off his Strasbourg No.10 shirt, wearing a pair of scholarly gold-rimmed glasses that looked a little stiff, a far cry from his bravery and drive on the pitch.
Of course, the most important thing for Emmega is to find his rhythm in Ligue 1 as soon as possible. Less than a month after bringing in Emmega, Strasbourg sold the team's former number one striker, Habib Diallo, to Saudi club Riyadh Victory for 18 million euros, which means they see Emega as the backbone of the team's forward line, and given the team's forward situation and Emega's value, there is no reason why Emega should not be on top at this time.
Emega's initial performances were heavily criticised, particularly for his lack of shooting skills in front of goal. This is also a trait of Emmega – despite being tall and suited to the size of a centre-forward, he prefers to attack with the ball in front of goal. Despite being harshly judged and under intense pressure, Emega showed admirable resilience and self-confidence in the way he followed. His recent performances have improved significantly, including his opener against Le Havre and the equaliser against Brest, showing how far he has adapted from his early days.
Emega's change would not have been possible without Vieira's tactical shift. As a coach, Patrick Vieira's record so far may not be convincing enough, but as an experienced former star, he has a knack for identifying the characteristics of his players. After a few games, Vieira quickly realised that Emmega was not comfortable and made a timely change of tactics to help him play to his strengths and weaknesses - Vieira began to move Emega from a central pivot position to more on the wing, allowing him to form the team's attacking line alongside Gameiro and Leibo Mortiba. The change quickly paid off, with Emega becoming more and more active on the pitch and playing an increasingly prominent role in Strasbourg's attack.
Against Brest, it was Gameiro's brilliant pass from the right that gave Emega the chance to shoot in front of goalAgainst Le Havre, Emmega showed his bounce ability to bounce off again, sending a team-mate's cross into the back of the net with a high header. However, the real killer of Emmega is his ability to carve through the opposition defence from the middle, and once the Ligue 1 opponents give him that opportunity, then Emega will unceremoniously show his talent, which is what is expected of Emega.
Strasbourg are 10th in the standings with 4 wins, 5 draws and 6 defeats in Ligue 1 this season, but they are only four points above the relegation zone. After equalising against Brest, Emega's form on the pitch is on the rise and his performance is expected to be crucial to Strasbourg's record this season. Not only that, but there are many more eyes from afar London that are watching his development. Will Emmega be able to cash in on his talent and become another rising star in European football?
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