The excitement within the Chelsea fanbase may be growing around the level of footballer they’ve signed in Dario Essugo.
Dario Essugo, 20, is an exciting defensive midfielder owned by Sporting Lisbon. However, he’s enjoying a superb season-long loan spell at Las Palmas in the Spanish La Liga.
In March 2025, Sporting confirmed that they’ve agreed to sell both Essugo and Geovany Quenda to Chelsea. 17-year-old winger Quenda will make his move to Stamford Bridge in 2026, while Essugo is set to arrive in England this summer.
Since the announcement, Blues fans will have been keeping a special eye out for Essugo’s performances for Las Palmas.
Chelsea’s plan with Dario Essugo is to immediately bring him into their first-team squad for next season. In fairness, he’s certainly holding his own in the Spanish’s top division right now.
Photo by ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty ImagesDario Essugo impresses again for Las Palmas
On Wednesday night, Las Palmas suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. Incidentally, it’s a result that means they currently sit in 18th spot in the league table in the relegation zone, but they’re only two points away from safety.
Future Chelsea man Essugo completed 90 minutes for Las Palmas in a defensive midfield position.
Even though Essugo was on the losing team, he recorded some impressive individual statistics. In particular, it’s quite eye-catching that he made the most tackles and most interceptions of any player on the pitch during the contest.
Dario Essugo’s statistics in Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Las Palmas via FOTMOB
Chelsea thinks Dario Essugo has similar qualities to Moises Caicedo when it comes to being a ball-winning midfielder. He certainly plays with an aggression and intensity without the ball that could make him quite a big favourite with the Blues supporters when he arrives in West London next season.
The addition of the Portuguese youngster means that Chelsea’s midfield depth next year is shaping up to be quite formidable.
Photo by ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty ImagesLesley Ugochukwu and Dario Essugo can’t fit in same Chelsea squad
In reality, we don’t see how Essugo and Lesley Ugochukwu can fit into the same Chelsea squad next season. Therefore, we’d guess that one of them will need to be loaned out.
Ugochukwu, 21, could have been an option for the Blues this term. Instead, the young defensive midfielder was sent on a season-long loan to Southampton, where he’s been part of a group relegated from the Premier League.
Lesley Ugochukwu for Southampton in the 2024/25 season via FOTMOB
It will be a boost for Chelsea to bring in an extra option in defensive midfield to cover and compete with Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo. Our early prediction is that Essugo and Ugochukwu will fight it out in pre-season for a spot in next season’s Blues squad.