Chelsea and Dario Essugo’s representatives may disagree on what to do with the midfielder, ahead of the January transfer window. The Portuguese midfielder underwent surgery for a thigh injury sustained while playing for his country in September, and he has been out for most of the season.
The Blues paid around €22 million for the 20-year-old from Sporting Lisbon in the summer. He spent some time on loan at Las Palmas during the 2024–25 season before moving to Stamford Bridge for good. But his long absence due to injury has made the transition harder.
Emerging reports claim that Essugo’s agents have already talked to other teams about the possibility of a loan move in January. The midfielder’s camp seems eager to get him regular playing time somewhere else so he can keep improving and make up for lost time this season.
However, the same sources say that Chelsea’s main goal is to help Essugo return to full health so that Moises Caicedo’s workload can be reduced. The Ecuadorian has been one of Enzo Maresca’s best players this season. Still, he has had to take on a lot of responsibility in the middle of the field, especially since Romeo Lavia has been out with a thigh injury since November.
Could Essugo leave Chelsea on loan?
In the end, this means Essugo’s people and Chelsea might disagree on how to handle him in the short term. The club see the midfielder as a possible rotation option to take some of the pressure off of Caicedo. However, his agents seem more interested in getting him regular playing time through a short-term move away.
Essugo came back to training sooner than expected, even though he was first told he wouldn’t be back until late 2025 or early 2026. But manager Enzo Maresca said that he had a small setback and wouldn’t be able to play in at least the next three matches. This means that he won’t be able to return until at least mid-December.
The situation shows how hard it is for Chelsea to manage their big squad while also making sure that younger players get the training they need. Essugo has a lot of competition for minutes in the middle, with Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo as the established first-choice pair.