Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior expressed his disappointment with banners displayed by the club's fans that criticised striker Emanuel Emegha following the announcement of his pending move to Chelsea.

Strasbourg and Chelsea are both owned by BlueCo, a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. BlueCo completed a £2.3billion ($2.93bn) takeover of Chelsea in 2022 and purchased 99.97 per cent of Strasbourg for €76.3m the following year.

Several players have moved between the two teams since, while there has been a joint strategy of acquiring younger talent.

Emegha, who captains Strasbourg, is set to become the latest player to make the move. Chelsea announced on Friday that they had agreed a deal to sign the 22-year-old and that he would join them next summer.

The Dutch striker is currently injured but arrived on the pitch ahead of Strasbourg's 1-0 win over Le Havre on Sunday to receive the club's player of the month award, when a section of supporters displayed a banner that read: "Emegha, pawn of BlueCo. After changing shirt, give back your captain's armband."

Rosenior described the incident as "unacceptable" in his post-match press conference.

"Emanuel Emegha was devastated and so was I," he said. "I am very disappointed with what I saw. Seeing banners against one of the team's best players last season is unacceptable.

"My players deserve much more. They have an impeccable mindset and do not deserve this treatment. We are in a pivotal season in which we will play in a European competition, but it seems that a minority is not happy with these performances.

"It won't change anything at all because I remain very proud of my players, and Ema will remain captain as long as he is here. It is still necessary to emphasize that this does not concern everyone, but a minority."

Strasbourg fans have voiced their opposition to the club's ownership in the past. A "BlueCo Out" banner has been displayed behind one of the goals at the Stade de la Meinau and was visible against Le Havre on Sunday. In a game against Lille in January, the club's ultras stood silent for the first 15 minutes of the game.

BlueCo's investment has coincided with an upturn in form for Strasbourg, with the team finishing seventh in Ligue 1 under Rosenior last season and qualifying for the Conference League.

Since August 2023, there have been 13 transfers (including deals where players have immediately been loaned back) between the two clubs, with Emegha set to become the 14th.

In September, Ishe Samuels-Smith rejoined Chelsea from Strasbourg, 33 days after signing a permanent deal with the French club and was subsequently loaned to Swansea City. At the Le Havre game, some fans held up a banner that read: "Samuels-Smith bought for 10 times his value, left 34 days later for an undisclosed amount. They really take us for fools."

Rosenior has previously defended BlueCo's involvement.

"They (BlueCo) are very passionate about it," Rosenior said earlier this year. "They're constantly trying to help us improve. We've had members of staff go over to Chelsea's training ground to see how they're doing and I'm in constant contact with (Chelsea's sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart), and Sam Jewell (Chelsea's director of global recruitment) as well.

Strasbourg, fifth in Ligue 1 after four games, visit Paris FC on Sunday.

Chelsea signing Emegha 'devastated' by 'unacceptable' fans' banner, says Strasbourg coach Rosenior