Latest Chelsea signing brutally axed as punishment for sealing big-money Blues move

Rob McCarthy 23 Mar 2025 8:26 AM

Dario Essugo new Chelsea signing

One of Chelsea’s two new signings from Sporting, Dario Essugo, has been brutally axed from Portugal’s Under-21s squad following confirmation of his transfer to Stamford Bridge this week.

Enzo Maresca’s men completed a double deal with the Portuguese giants for both Essugo and Geovany Quenda for a combined fee of £62.4m (€74.5m / $81m), although the latter will remain in Lisbon until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Quenda, who was also a major target for Manchester United after his impressive performances under Ruben Amorim at Sporting, will move to Stamford Bridge in 2026 with Chelsea paying £42.4m up front, plus £1m (€1.3m) in performance-related add-ons for his services.

Essugo, meanwhile, is currently on loan at LaLiga side Las Palmas and will join Chelsea at the end of the season after an £18.6m (€22.2m) switch was agreed wth the Portuguese outfit.

The 20-year-old midfielder has made eight appearances for Portugal’s Under-21s and came on as a second-half substitute in their 1-0 loss to Romania on Friday night.

But ahead of their friendly against Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 side at The Hawthorns on Monday night, Portugal’s Football Federation (FPF) has announced that Essugo has been cut from the squad.

The reason being given is that Under-21s head coach, Rui Jorge, is unlikely to be able to call upon Essugo for the European Under-21 Championship in June as it will clash with Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign in the United States.

A statement from the FPF on Saturday night read: “The dismissal is in line with the thinking that has guided Rui Jorge’s choices.

“After being called up, Dario Essugo signed a new professional contract with Chelsea, the team that will compete in the Club World Cup, which could prevent him from being an option for the European Championship in this age group, to be held in June, in Slovakia.”

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In focus: Essugo playing style

Born in 2005, Essugo joined Sporting’s academy at nine and has been turning heads ever since.

His career highlight so far has been guiding Portugal to the semi-finals of the 2022 UEFA U-17 Championship, while he has ben in exceptional form during his loan stint in Spain so far.

Essugo has started 17 times in LaLiga for Las Palmas, steadily cementing himself as a key figure in the No.6 role in the process.

He is a right-footed defensive midfielder with the versatility to push further up the field and operate as a number eight, adding another layer of flexibility to his game.

For a player of his age to excel in the number six role—arguably one of the most demanding and tactically sensitive positions in football—while also showing competence higher up the pitch, is a testament to his impressive talent.

Essugo’s positional awareness is far beyond what you’d expect from a player his age. He consistently positions himself in the right areas to actively contribute to ball progression.

According to FBref, Essugo averages 4.16 touches in the defensive third and 19.21 touches in the middle third per 90 minutes—numbers that place him in high percentiles compared to other midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.

Those stats also highlight his influence on the game, even in a system that prioritizes direct play at Las Palmas.

In short, it looks like Chelsea have got a real find on their hands and in what could be money well spent.