Chelsea Re-Sign Nigeria-Eligible Player 33 Days After Selling Him to Strasbourg, Loan Him Out
- English club Chelsea pulled off a questionable deal on the summer transfer window deadline day on September 1
- The Blues re-signed a young player they sold to Strasbourg after 33 days, a club also owned by BlueCo
- The world champions generated the most funds of any English club in a single transfer window this summer
Chelsea have re-signed a Nigeria-eligible player they sold to sister club RC Strasbourg after 33 days in a bizarre move on the summer transfer deadline day.
The world champions were busy with departures on the deadline day, which included Nicolas Jackson, whose proposed loan move to Bayern Munich was initially put on hold.
Source: Getty Images
Chelsea could not bring in players on Monday as they were handicapped by the UEFA registration rule, which forced them to sell some players.
Chelsea re-sign Ishe Samuels-Smith
According to an official statement, Chelsea re-signed Ishe Samuels-Smith from RC Strasbourg 33 days after selling him to their sister club in France.
The defender joined Strasbourg for £6.5 million and has yet to make an appearance before he bizarrely rejoined Chelsea and was loaned to Swansea.
According to Football London, the French club signed Samuels-Smith when Ismael Doukoure’s future was uncertain due to a contract standoff.
Doukoure eventually stayed, thus blocking the pathway for Samuels-Smith and forcing the Blues to exercise the buyback clause in his contract.
He was immediately loaned to EFL Championship side Swansea City to continue his development, despite Chelsea having issues in defence after Levi Colwill’s injury.
The bizarre transfer raised eyebrows among fans on social media, with Enzo Maresca’s side currently struggling to register their new signings for the Champions League because of a UEFA restriction.
@AllLoveLeeds wrote:
"There’s definitely got to be some agreement in place that Chelsea have first refusal, etc, on Brighton and Strasbourg players. The whole thing stinks."
@EddieHoweshire wrote:
“If NUFC had done this, they'd be sending tanks into the city of Newcastle. The fact that it's reported without the slightest suggestion that Chelsea will be held accountable is a true reflection of how corrupt and geared towards the 'big 6' the PL really is. Genuinely, this is not Sport!”
@TruthOnly91 wrote:
“Is this isn’t footballing fraud? Moving payments, paying Peter to pay Paul, then I honestly don’t know what it. Absolutely embarrassing by the authorities.”
Source: Getty Images
Has Chelsea broken any rules?
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have not crossed any line that could raise eyebrows with FIFA or UEFA, as they have operated within the rules of player registration.
FIFA rules on player registration state that “Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, a player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs.”
Samuels-Smith has been registered to all three clubs this season, but did not make an official appearance for Chelsea and Strasbourg; thus, his move to Swansea is legal.
However, Chelsea cannot recall him from Swansea or send him to another club, either permanently or on loan.
Nicolas Jackson's agent sent message to Chelsea
Legit.ng reported that Nicolas Jackson's agent sent a message to Chelsea following the club's attempt to cancel his loan after landing in Munich.
The Blues opted out of the deal after Liam Delap’s long-term injury, but after renegotiation, he joined Bayern Munich on loan with an obligation to buy.
Source: Legit.ng
