Angelo Gabriel completed his season-long loan to Strasbourg on Tuesday having enjoyed pre-season with Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino in the USA
Nevertheless it became apparent early that there was an expectation that Angelo Gabriel could be sent to Ligue 1 to continue his growth, after Chelsea signed the Brazilian from Santos. They were made to wait however, until he had participated in the Blues' tour of the United States.
Upon Gabriel's move, Keller spoke about the 18-year-old's arrival: "Yes it's true. As soon as Chelsea bought him, we immediately positioned ourselves to bring him on loan to Strasbourg. We lost a few days, since he made a strong impression at the Chelsea internship in the United States, he was very good. We spoke with Chelsea leaders, and we obtained his loan. We are very happy to welcome this young player, who is not even 19 years old and who has already played more than 120 games with Santos. He has an incredible freshness, he laughs with everyone".
While many will be carefully watching how the partnership can be exploited, Chelsea will be allowed no more than three loans to Strasbourg at any one time, and Racing have already been active in the window in signing their own young players.
BlueCo have made their intensions clear in France too, bringing in players such as Abakar Sylla, Dilane Bakwa, Junior Mwanga and Emanuel Emegh. The club have spent £47.9million, a figure comparable to the 10 years before combined.
Nevertheless, Lesley Ugochukwu will be assessed by the Blues with the possibility of returning to Ligue 1. The 19-year-old provides a midfield option when Chelsea are lacking, but would benefit from more minutes, particularly if the Blues are successful in landing Moises Caicedo.
If the Blues are successful in landing Gabriel's former teammate Deivid Washington from Santos, he too could be set for a move to Strasbourg. Though, Chelsea face competition from Monaco for the 18-year-old's signature.