The departure of French manager Patrick Vieira from Ligue 1 club Strasbourg has been put under the spotlight, with many wondering the reason behind the separation.
Reports indicate Vieira departed the French club by mutual consent, with both parties agreeing to end their relationship.
Strasbourg are majority-owned by BlueCo, the same consortium spearheaded by American Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital which bought Chelsea in 2022.
Patrick Vieira signed a 3-year deal at the Blue-and-Whites in July 2023, which was expected to run until the summer of 2026.
However, Vieira’s ties with Strasbourg were discontinued abruptly after the involved parties opted to end their partnership.
This has brought about questions from many, who are keen to know why the Les Bleus and Arsenal great is leaving after the club was acquired by BlueCo.
Why Patrick Vieira Left Strasbourg
Several factors could have led to the relationship being halted, from performance-based obligations to reactions of the fans.
Club Targets
Patrick Vieira earlier this summer revealed that the 2023/24 campaign was a frustrating one for him as Strasbourg boss, sharing that the club’s primary target is to play “European football in the next three years”.
The 48-year-old said: “The ambition is to play European football in the next three years.
“Of course, coming from this year, there is a big turn of young players, and this year was challenging and difficult – we struggled and went through some difficult periods.”
His subsequent comments sounded like he was planning for the future with the club, but his sudden departure has kept fans in limbo.
Vieira added: “Hopefully, we will keep our best young players, we’re going to try and improve the team and try to finish in the top 10 next year. Then, why not play European football in two years’ time from now?”
Strasbourg finished 13th in the Ligue 1 in the 2023/24 season, having ended the previous campaign in 15th position.
Certainly, Patrick Vieira hasn’t met the targets of qualifying for European football, however, he has also been relatively impressive given, Strasbourg aren’t one of the biggest clubs in French football.
Recruitment Strategy Of BlueCo
Moreover, the recruitment strategy of BlueCo has also infuriated the fans, with the consortium preferring to sign young players rather than established players.
Vieira struggled all through the 2023/24 season with a pool of young players, who never really found their feet throughout the season.
This transfer policy is understood to be kicked against by the fans, with Strasbourg supporters even urging BlueCo to sell the club if no alterations were made to their approach.
The BlueCo consortium purchased Strasbourg in June 2023 and they are hoping for a ray of sunshine.
Meanwhile, just like Strasbourg, English giants Chelsea have also wobbled since the acquisition of the club by the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Their scattergun approach of splashing money on flashy toys as opposed to proven names has been heavily criticized by the fans.
Interference
Some reports have claimed that managers do not also like working under BlueCo due to the level of interference from administrators like Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali at Chelsea.
Huge Managerial Turnover With The Todd Boehly-led Consortium
There has been much managerial turnover since BlueCo made their presence felt at Chelsea, as they have had to say goodbye to 5 managers since 2022.
Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor, Frank Lampard, and Mauricio Pochettino have all left the blues either by mutual consent or by outright dismissal.
Pochettino exited Chelsea via mutual consent at the end of the 2023/24 season despite ending the campaign on an amazing run.
Enzo Maresca has been appointed in his stead and several football enthusiasts are keen to see what unravels in the marriage.
