Red Bull model as inspiration & exclusive youth focus: How Chelsea and BlueCo have influenced the direction of Strasbourg

In June of this year, Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace was bought by BlueCo, the consortium led by billionaire owners of Chelsea FC Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, to kickstart a new era for the French team. 

It was a purchase that was marked by unease from the supporters as it would bring Les Alsaciens within a newly established multi-club project heralded by its flagship Chelsea. However, seemingly very little looked different for Strasbourg, as the previous owner, Marc Keller was kept on as the club President, to create a sense of stability during the handover of power. 

The biggest immediate impact was Keller’s announcement that BlueCo had invested major financial efforts to renovate the Meinau Stadium, as well as modernise club facilities such as the training ground. 

Six months on from the initial purchase this relationship between Strasbourg and the other teams within BlueCo’s multi-club model (in particular Chelsea) has become clearer thanks to a report by L’Equipe . 

The report detailed that BlueCo were directly inspired by the multi-club model implemented by Red Bull. Wherein the club scouts young players with high potential, develops their skills over a three-year period, and then sells them at a high price before repeating the process. 

Part of that model relies on the role of Red Bull Salzburg who operate as a feeder club for RasenBallsport Leipzig. Talent is developed at Salzburg before it is then moved onto Leipzig where it can be better showcased in the Bundesliga and sold for a higher fee. 

In this system, Strasbourg would become to Chelsea what Salzburg are to Leipzig. A notion that the French team strongly reject. Yet, this concept has regardless influenced a dramatic shift in the transfer strategy