“From Amapiano FC to Mandem FC” - New Chelsea signing makes hilarious claim after transfer agreement

Chelsea's new signing, Emmanuel Emegha, has opened up on signing a pre-agreement with the Blues. He will join the Premier League giants from sister club Strasbourg next summer.

Chelsea and Strasbourg have been involved in a number of transfers between each other as they share the same owners. Emegha is the new addition to the list, as he has signed a pre-contract to move to Stamford Bridge next summer. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano announced the deal on his social media handles on Friday, September 12.

Emegha commented on Romano's post on Instagram, writing:

"From Amapiano fc to Mandem fc 💙💙"

Emmanuel Emegha's comment on Fabrizio Romano's post (Image credits: Instagram/@emmanuelemegha)

Amapiano fc is a reference to a genre of music, most popular in South Africa. Meanwhile, Chelsea are labeled "Mandem fc" at times due to the large number of players they have signed in recent years.

Emegha, 22, came through Sparta Rotterdam's academy before joining Royal Antwerp in January 2022. He joined Sturm Graz in the summer of that year before joining Strasbourg the following year. He has made 64 appearances for them, scoring 26 goals and providing five assists.

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Enzo Maresca highlights areas where Chelsea can improve ahead of Brentford clash

The Blues have had a good start to the 2025-26 campaign with two wins and one draw in their three Premier League games so far. However, their performances have arguably left a lot to be desired. They will next face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.

Ahead of the clash, Enzo Maresca explained where his side still need to improve. He said (via Chelseafc.com):

"In terms of players, there are always things we can improve. And by improving players, most of the time, you improve the team. We have said already that with Cucu (Marc Cucurella), with Enzo (Fernandez), with Moi (Caicedo), with Levi, when I joined the club the situation around these players was a bit different compared to today.

"At the end, it’s because of the way they want to improve, the way they want to learn. We just give them tools, and they are the ones who play the games. For the team, we start to add more solutions in terms of structure and being dynamic. We can still add solutions there."

After the Brentford clash, Chelsea will face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, September 17. They will then return to the Premier League at Old Trafford against Manchester United three days later.