Chelsea have been handed a timely midfield boost ahead of their trip to the Emirates, with summer signing Dario Essugo spotted in full training earlier than originally anticipated.
A central midfielder was on the radar for Chelsea in the summer, but Douglas Luiz’s move to Aston Villa and the desire to put trust in players already at the club put an end to that.
Dario Essugo has struggled with injuries since joining in the summer. He has not played a single minute of the current campaign, suffering a serious thigh injury while on international duty with Portugal U21s in September, and then his latest injury at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea can count themselves lucky that Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos have been injury-free, as well as Romeo Lavia returning.
But Essugo‘s return will come as a big boost.
Dario Essugo spotted in Chelsea training
Ahead of the Arsenal clash on Sunday, Chelsea have been handed an unexpected boost with Dario Essugo seen in a training image on the club website.
It was originally believed that Essugo would be out for well over a month, which would have taken him into March, but the early signs appear to be good.
Of course, there’s no confirmation yet that he will be fit to face Arsenal or even back in the squad, but it’s a positive sign ahead of a busy schedule.
There will be matches from the Champions League and the FA Cup to come in March.
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Where does Dario Essugo fit in?
Dario Essugo could represent the missing link for Liam Rosenior, primarily serving as the high-intensity defensive anchor Chelsea has lacked during recent late-game collapses.
Since his £18.5 million arrival from Sporting CP, Essugo has been viewed as the natural understudy and physical alternative to Moises Caicedo. His role is to provide ball-winning capabilities and a disciplined positional sense that allows Chelsea’s creative outlets, like Cole Palmer, to operate with total freedom.
After a nightmare six-month layoff following thigh surgery and a subsequent training setback, Essugo’s return to full training this week offers Rosenior a closer look, but he’ll be cautious.
While he has yet to make his official Premier League debut, his previous cameos during Chelsea’s Club World Cup-winning campaign showed plenty of promise.
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