Chelsea reportedly already have plans in place to sign Strasbourg defender Ismael Doukoure next summer.
Strasbourg are owned by BlueCo, the consortium that also owns Chelsea. And the two sides have worked in tandem for some time now. There are three Chelsea loanees currently at Strasbourg, as well as three ex-Blues — including Ben Chilwell. Striker Emmanuel Emegha has already agreed a deal to join Chelsea next summer.
And Doukoure is reportedly set for the same move, after BlueCo rejected a number of moves for the centre-back in the recent transfer window.
In this article, we’ll cover
Doukoure’s journey
The 22-year-old Frenchman spent his youth years at multiple clubs in France, playing for Lille Wazemmes, IC de Lambersart, Lille and Valenciennes.
Doukoure signed his first professional contract with Valenciennes in 2020, before making his move to Strasbourg in 2022 for a fee of around £1.3m.
He has gone on to play 92 games for Strasbourg so far, primarily at centre-back. But he has also made appearances on the right side of the defence and in midfield.
The interesting factor with Chelsea’s reported move for Doukoure is that many see a pathway from Strasbourg to Stamford Bridge. And some are being bought with this in mind. But Doukoure joined Strasbourg a year before BlueCo took over.
Doukoure vs current Chelsea centre-back options
Doukoure has caught the eye of Chelsea higher ups despite not being bought initially for their model.
The French defender is averaging 7.2 duels contested per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 this season. He’s won 2.6 aerial duels per 90 and made 4.3 clearances per 90.
However, Doukoure has the lowest passing accuracy compared to Chelsea’s current (available) centre-backs. He’s averaging a similar number of forward passes to Tosin Adarabioyo despite averaging 20 fewer passes per 90.
All three of Wesley Fofana, Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah are averaging more tackles per 90, more duels contested, and more duels won.
But Doukoure does come out on top for aerial duel success rate and ball recoveries.
Should Doukoure stay at Strasbourg?
One of Doukoure’s Strasbourg teammates has already agreed a deal to Chelsea. Mamadou Sarr spent time with the Blues at the Club World Cup before re-joining Strasbourg on loan.
Sarr is the more impressive of the two defenders, standing at 6’4″, having a quick turn of pace and being comfortable on the ball.
The stats reflect this too. Sarr averages more passes, a higher passing accuracy, more forward passes, more duels contested, more tackles made, more duels won and more clearances per 90 than Doukoure.
Doukoure only ranks better in aerial duels won, but the 22-year-old contests fewer aerial duels per 90 in his role.
Squawka suggests
Sarr is likely to play a part at Chelsea next season if he has another impressive season with Strasbourg and Josh Acheampong looking to get more minutes and develop this season. So the need for Doukoure seems minimal as things stand. He wouldn’t be a significant upgrade or guaranteed starter for the club ahead of other young options they have.