For twelve million euros: Emegha changes from Sturm to Strasbourg

The Dutch striker’s transfer to Racing Strasbourg became official on Saturday night. The 20-year-old moves to Alsace for at least 12 million euros, which puts him second in the ranking of the most expensive non-Salzburg sales from the Bundesliga behind his ex-Sturm colleague Rasmus Höjlund (17 million euros).

Sturm’s management team around sports director Andreas Schicker and trainer Christian Ilzer had steered Emegha from Royal Antwerp to Graz in the summer of 2022 for 1.5 million euros. In 36 appearances for Sturm, the attacker, feared for his speed but not always effective, scored ten goals. The 1.95 m man was no longer in the squad for Sturm’s confident promotion to the cup on Saturday. The “Blackys” will soon see Emegha again. Next Wednesday, Sturm will be making a guest appearance in Strasbourg for a friendly.

Schicker spoke of a heavy sporting loss and a “very good solution” from an economic point of view. “Here I would like to highlight our team of coaches, who have turned a player who hasn’t had much of a chance before into a top talent that is recognized throughout Europe.”

At Racing, the former club of storm icons Ivica Osim, Heinz Schilcher and Mario Haas, Patrick Vieira has recently been the head coach on the sidelines. Strasbourg, who had secured their place in Ligue 1 late in the past season, were already in the headlines when it was announced that Todd Boehly, the owner of Chelsea, would become a major shareholder.

Sturm already strengthened their attack in the summer with Poland’s Szymon Wlodarczyk. After the departure of Emegha, Austria’s cup winner wants to be active again on the transfer market.

The Dutchman himself had moved to Graz three weeks before moving from Höjlund to Atalanta Bergamo last year. The Dane flushed 17 million euros into the club coffers. Should Höjlund go to a major club in the summer – Manchester United was the last subject under discussion – Graz will benefit again thanks to agreed bonus payments.