Latest news with #Essugo
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea give clear Club World Cup hint with £100m prize money on the line
Chelsea have jetted out to the United States getting ready to play in the inaugural Club World Cup and Enzo Maresca's men are eager to capture the trophy that offers a game-changing prize fund of £100m Chelsea are hoping the Club World Cup will provide a £100m ticket to glory. The Blues go into the 32 team tournament in the United States having won the trophy in its previous format back in 2022. That was under former owner Roman Abramovich when the club enjoyed a glorious time of major trophies and big stars. Chelsea 's current joint owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have gone in a different direction with young players to build slowly but with strong foundations. They have tried to recruit Europe's best young talent and also the most skilful players from around the world to signal long-term success. But the prize money on offer in the Club World Cup this summer - £97m for the winners in a total pool of £775m - would be a game-changer for a team like Chelsea. They have already recruited Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo and Liam Delap and put them straight into their 28 man squad for the Club World Cup. That has meant they have left Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix at home while Wesley Fofana will also remain at Stamford Bridge to carry on his rehabilitation from injury. But while Chelsea remain committed to their long-term strategy of young players, they also know that winning the biggest trophies will help recruit more stars and also help pay for them. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca guided the club into next season's Champions League and also won the Europa Conference League. That has underlined Chelsea's faith in their manager and the way he is building for the long-term future and his ability to harness young players. It would also allow them to go big again having spent in excess of £100m each on Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. That is why Chelsea are determined to take their tournament seriously as they prepare to kick off against Los Angeles in Atlanta next Tuesday. MLS side LAFC contain serial winners in the form of French World Cup heroes Hugo Lloris and striker Olivier Giroud, with the latter set to face his old club in this one. Their other Group games see them face Flamengo and ES Tunis and new signing, Portugal under-21 star Essugo, is relishing the chance to make history. Essugo agreed an £18.5m deal in March and he arrived in time for the Club World Cup with great memories of watching Chelsea's glory days under Jose Mourinho and also the Champions League in 2021 when Thomas Tuchel lifted the trophy. He added: 'The first memories I have were from when Mourinho was here in 2015. But the most recent memory is the Champions League final the club won, which fittingly took place in Porto. I remember that well, and generally some of the great players that have played here. "I want to win as much as possible, as many titles as possible. Obviously, I want to win the Champions League, but also the Premier League because it's very difficult. I want to win titles, play as much as possible at Chelsea and be part of the club's history." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Joao Felix becomes second Chelsea star stripped of squad number in clear message
Portugal international Joao Felix has struggled to find a club to call home in the past few years, and he would appear to be on the move again after his squad number was taken away Joao Felix's second spell at Chelsea seems destined for an inauspicious ending after the Portugal international saw his squad number given to new arrival Dario Essugo. Felix, still just 25, joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid last summer in a deal worth an initial £42million, but after 20 appearances in all competitions he was on the move again, joining AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the season in February. Now back at Chelsea, where he first arrived on loan from Atletico for the second half of the 2022-23 season, there would appear to be little prospect of Felix forcing his way into Enzo Maresca's first-team plans for next season after he saw his No.14 shirt handed to his Portuguese compatriot Essugo. The move is the latest twist in Felix's career, with the attacker seemingly destined for his fifth change of clubs in the last two-and-a-half years. Felix has become the second Chelsea player to see their shirt number taken from them this summer after winger Mykhailo Mudryk's No.10 was handed to talisman Cole Palmer, who vacates the No.20. Mudryk remains provisionally suspended from football for alleged doping, and hasn't kicked a ball for Chelsea since November. Essugo has arrived at Chelsea in an £18.5million deal and will go into the squad for this summer's Club World Cup. The Portugal under-21 international played 25 times for Sporting's youth team, and had loan spells as Portuguese side Chaves and La Liga outfit Las Palmas in the past two seasons. 'It's a big step to make in my early career,' said Essugo as he was unveiled by the Blues. 'Every player dreams of getting to a big club, and Chelsea is no exception. It's a massive club and I'm feeling proud and very happy to be here. 'Chelsea showed big interest in me. When that happens, you can't turn it down. When my Dad told me Chelsea were interested, I was very happy and here we are now.' Mamadou Sarr, another of Chelsea's new arrivals, has taken the No.19 shirt that was worn by Jadon Sancho during the past season, with the Englishman's loan spell from Manchester United having now ended. "I feel really good, it's like a dream for me," Sarr said after his move. "Since I was young, I dreamed of playing for a club like this. Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am very happy. "For me, Chelsea is the best club in London, one of the best clubs in England. Chelsea have a good project in place for young players. The supporters, the club, it's history and the stadium are all fantastic. It's an iconic club with a full history."
Metro
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Second player stripped of Chelsea shirt number following £18m transfer signing
Chelsea have confirmed the shirt number Dario Essugo will wear following his £18m move to Stamford Bridge. The Blues agreed a deal to sign the Portuguese midfielder in March alongside the signing of winger Geovany Quenda. Quenda, 18, will spend another season at Sporting before joining Chelsea next summer, but Essugo has arrived in west London just in time for the Club World Cup. Essugo impressed for Spanish side Las Palmas last season despite the club suffering relegation from La Liga. The 20-year-old has signed a contract with Chelsea until 2033 and the club have confirmed he will wear the No. 14 shirt going forward. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. That shirt was previously worn by Joao Felix but Chelsea are in talks to sell the Portuguese playmaker to Benfica. Chelsea only signed Felix last summer but he struggled for game-time in the first-half of the season before being sent on loan to AC Milan in January. Felix's struggles continued in Serie A and the 25-year-old now looks set to return to his boyhood club Benfica in a deal worth around £20m. 'I'm very happy,' Essugo said after arriving at Chelsea. 'It's a big step to make early in my career. 'Every player dreams of getting to a big club and Chelsea is no exception. It's a massive club and I'm feeling proud and very happy to be here. 'Honestly, Chelsea showed big interest in me. When that happens, you can't turn it down. When my dad told me Chelsea were interested, I was very happy and here we are now!' Last week, Mykhailo Mudryk was stripped of his No. 10 shirt by Chelsea, who handed the iconic jersey to Cole Palmer. Palmer has worn the No. 20 shirt for Chelsea ever since his £42.5 million move from Manchester City two years ago. In: Liam DelapDario EssugoEstevao Willian Mamadou Sarr Out: Marcus Bettinelli Bashir Humphreys Mudryk, meanwhile, was handed Chelsea's No.10 shirt when he joined Stamford Bridge in a £88.5m deal from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023. The Ukrainian has not featured for Chelsea since November after being provisionally suspended for failing a doping test the previous month. Chelsea have also confirmed new signing Liam Delap will wear the No. 9 shirt following his £30m switch from Ipswich Town. More Trending Enzo Maresca's side, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season and won the Conference League, begin their Club World Cup campaign on Monday against Mexican side Leon. The Blues then face Brazilian giants Flamengo and Tunisian outfit ES Tunis as they bid to progress from Group D and reach the knockout stages. Felix, Raheem Sterling and Djordje Petrovic have all been left out of Chelsea's Club World Cup squad as the Blues look to offload them this summer. But new signings Delap, Essugo and Mamadou Sarr will also feature for the Premier League side, along with loan star Andrey Santos. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Chelsea star 'may push for a move' after interest from three Premier League clubs MORE: Alexis Mac Allister says he would love 'world-class' Tottenham star at Liverpool MORE: Man Utd and Arsenal suffer Viktor Gyokeres blow as truth emerges over transfer fee
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chelsea: Fee and contract length revealed as Dario Essugo signing confirmed with Liam Delap announcement close
Chelsea have officially welcomed Dario Essugo to the club. The Blues agreed a double deal with Sporting CP back in March to sign the highly-rated midfielder as well as his teammate Geovany Quenda. In fact, it was Sporting, who announced in a statement to the markets that the transfer of both players was worth a total of just under €74.5million (£62.4m). Advertisement Chelsea will be paying €50.77m (£42.8m) up front for Quenda, with a further €1.36m (£1.1m) potentially due in performance-related add-ons. However, he is staying at the Estadio Jose Alvalade until the end of the 2025/26 season. Meanwhile, Chelsea are paying a lump sum of €22.27m (£18.8m) with no add-ons for Essugo and have tied the 20-year-old down to a long-term contract, with the club confirming he has signed until 2033. Described as 'predominately a holding midfielder, but can operate as a more conventional No.8, too', it remains to be seen if Essugo is part of Enzo Maresca's plans for this summer's Club World Cup tournament. Essugo is not expected to be the only new arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer as the club are also close to announcing the signing of Liam Delap after triggering his £30m release clause following Ipswich's relegation from the Premier League.
United News of India
03-06-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Chelsea signs midfielder Essugo from Sporting CP
London, June 3 (UNI) Chelsea has finalized the signing of Portuguese midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting CP. The 20-year-old joins the newly crowned UEFA Conference League winners for a fee of 18 million pounds (24.3 million US dollars) and has signed a contract through June 2033. Essugo, known for his tough tackling, spent last season on loan at La Liga side Las Palmas, where he made 27 appearances and was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult campaign that ended in relegation. The Portugal under-21 international made history as the youngest ever player to debut for Sporting's first team, breaking the record previously held by Luis Figo when he took the field at 16 years and six days old. He also spent the 2023-24 season on loan with Chaves, appearing in 14 matches. The deal was initially agreed upon in March but was completed with the reopening of the transfer window ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup. Essugo will join Chelsea's squad for the tournament, which kicks off with a match against Los Angeles Galaxy on June 16. UNI XINHUA AKT PRS
