Chelsea fans react furiously as their club signs England’s World Cup “enemy”
Chelsea has just officially announced the signing of Valentin Barco, but instead of receiving a warm welcome, the deal faced a wave of fierce backlash from quite a few fans. In fact, many Blues supporters admitted that “their weekend was ruined” following the announcement from the club.
The Argentine midfielder joins Chelsea on a contract running until 2033, after transferring from Strasbourg, a club under the same ownership network as the London side.
Barco, 22, is no unfamiliar name to English football fans. He was at the center of controversy at the 2026 World Cup following a tense clash between Argentina and England.
In that match, Barco charged onto the pitch to celebrate when Argentina scored the decisive goal, as the Three Lions lost their chance to reach the final. This action angered many English players, particularly Jude Bellingham.
After the final whistle, the Real Madrid star got into an altercation with Barco, even slapping the back of the Argentine player’s head during a heated exchange of words.
Despite knowing Barco was unpopular among many English fans after that incident, Chelsea still decided to complete the deal. This led quite a few Blues supporters, who are also England fans, to express their disappointment on social media.
One person wrote: “He will be booed at every away ground in England. Hope he can handle that pressure.”
Another fan lamented: “So my weekend is pretty much ruined.” A third person bluntly suggested: “Send him on loan immediately.” Another comment simply left a short line: “Booooooo!”
Meanwhile, someone demanded Chelsea sell the new signing right away, while another opinion noted that this was the club’s “least exciting signing”.
In reality, Barco is no stranger to the Premier League. He previously played for Brighton but failed to compete for a starting spot, before being loaned out to Sevilla and then Strasbourg.
The French side subsequently activated their option-to-buy clause at the end of the 2024/25 season, after qualifying for European competition.
Last season, Barco played 43 matches in all competitions, scoring 12 goals in a Strasbourg shirt. That impressive form earned him a call-up from manager Lionel Scaloni to the Argentina squad for the 2026 World Cup.
