Club captain Emanuel Emegha will leave RC Strasbourg Alsace in the summer. The Dutchman’s move to partner club Chelsea was confirmed back in September, much to the frustration of the Alsacien fans.

But Strasbourg already have an in-house replacement in the form of Joaquín Panichelli. The Argentine, even with Emegha still at the club, has been the standout attacker for Le Racing this season. He already has 11 goals in his debut season in Ligue 1, just one fewer than the top-scorer in the league, Olympique de Marseille’s Mason Greenwood. 

Panichelli therefore looks to be the natural successor to Emegha. There is, as a result, no question of RCSA letting the striker leave, certainly not this winter. That is why, as per a report from L’Équipe, an approach for the Argentina international has recently been rebuffed. 

That approach came from an unnamed Premier League club, L’Équipe understands. It was a hard no from Strasbourg.