The summer transfer window may have been closed on September 1st, but Chelsea have already completed an early business that will benefit them in 2026
Chelsea were attacked by negotiating a preliminary general agreement with Strasbourg for the signing of forward Emmanuel Emega. The Dutch, who will be captain of the Blueco-owned Ligue 1 club, is scheduled to move to Stamford Bridge in 2026.
There has been debate over the deal since May, and now Bruce has secured the service at 22, beating many Premier League rivals in his signature in the process.
Emega began his career in Sparta Rotterdam and his Netherlands homeland, before a brief spell with Belgium’s Royal Antwerp. He then moved to Austria with Sturm Graz before landing in Strasbourg in 2023, plunging 26 goals in 64 appearances in France.
Last season, he collected 14 goals and three assists on 27 outings in all competitions. Liam Rose’s team has secured UEFA Conference League qualification.
Many British sides, including Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Newcastle, were linked to Emega during the summer transfer period, but there was a sense that his long-term future lies in Chelsea.
The Holland U21 International attacker wanted to stay at Strasbourg this season to experience European football after playing a key role in the qualifications.
He has signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea and will be joining the Blues next summer, following the end of this season.
read more: Premier League injury roundup: Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea sweat on the starsread more: Chelsea’s response to the threat of points deduction after the FA strikes the Blues at 74 rate
Enzo Maresca’s side would definitely benefit from having Emega with his team shortly after losing Liam Dellup to a hamstring injury.
The former Ipswich town and Manchester City starlet could be on the sidelines for up to 12 weeks when the issue remains in place against Fulham. Nicholas Jackson’s move to Bayern Munich, recalled Mark Giu’s loan spell against Sunderland, shortened the Club World Cup champion with an attack.
When asked if he wanted to keep Jackson, Maresca said this before his trip to Brentford on Saturday: Despite the void fired against Crystal Palace on the opening day of the season, Chelsea have been hit seven times on their last two Premier League excursions. First, they destroyed West Ham 5-1 without Cole Palmer before defeating Fulham 2-0 before an international break.
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