Chelsea
Dário Essugo to Miss Early 2025–26 Months After Thigh Surgery
Dário Essugo faces at least three months out after thigh surgery, delaying his Premier League debut.
Chelsea confirmed that Dário Essugo will be sidelined for an extended period after the 20-year-old required surgery following a thigh injury sustained during the September international break. The club said the midfielder underwent successful surgery in the days after the problem occurred while representing Portugal’s U-21 squad.
Essugo has begun his recovery work at Cobham but faces a lengthy absence. Reports in The Athletic place the layoff at a minimum of 12 weeks, with the wider estimate around three months. The same reporting suggests the summer signing will likely not be available for selection until 2026, a development that leaves Enzo Maresca with another injury issue to manage in the opening months of the 2025–26 season.
Chelsea signed Essugo from Sporting CP in June for £18.5 million ($23.9 million). The midfielder was always intended to add depth to Maresca’s options in central areas and was not expected to displace Moisés Caicedo or Enzo Fernández from the starting XI. Nevertheless, his absence removes a rotational option for the manager at a point when squad resources are valuable.
Following his move to west London, Essugo featured three times in Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign, picking up his first trophy in a blue shirt within weeks of his transfer. He then made two preseason appearances, logging a total of 63 minutes. Maresca had not yet given Essugo a Premier League debut, keeping the Portugal international on the bench for Chelsea’s opening three matches of the season.
Given the projected recovery timeline, Essugo will most likely have to wait until next year to make his first appearance in the English top flight. The club will continue to monitor his rehabilitation at Cobham as they prepare for the early months of the 2025–26 campaign.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s Starting XI After the 2025 Summer Window
Chelsea’s strongest XI after the 2025 summer window: transfers, injuries and emerging starters. Read.
Chelsea enter the 2025/26 campaign strengthened by a summer that mixed heavy recruitment with continuity. After a turnaround in 2024–25, the squad assembled by Maresca aims to press for honours, and on paper this is the side most likely to start given the club’s transfer business and injury situation.
GK: Robert Sánchez
Goalkeeper was largely untouched during the window. Chelsea explored a deal for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan but ultimately kept Robert Sánchez as the starter. Sánchez remains prone to the occasional mistake but has shown improvement, notably at the Club World Cup. Mike Penders, on loan at sister club Strasbourg, is viewed as a possible long-term option.
RB: Reece James
Now largely free of the injury problems that disrupted two seasons, Reece James has been managed carefully by Maresca and is expected to be a major factor when fit. Chelsea’s captain offers physical defence, technique and wide passing range, and will be preserved for key moments while contributing across the season.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah
After his loan at Crystal Palace was ended in January, Trevoh Chalobah has established himself back at Cobham and into Maresca’s plans. With Levi Colwill sidelined long-term with an ACL injury and Wesley Fofana still struggling for fitness, Chalobah’s role in the back line has grown in importance.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo
Signed from Fulham for depth, Tosin has become a regular given the defensive injury list. A strong aerial presence, he has been embraced by the dressing room and nicknamed “Uncle Tosin.” At 27 he is one of the senior leaders in the squad.
LB: Marc Cucurella
Cucurella’s career regained momentum after Euro 2024 and he led Chelsea in appearances in 2024–25. Tenacious defensively, he added attacking output last season with seven goals and four assists. Jorrel Hato arrived as cover but Cucurella looks set to start.
DMs: Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández
Caicedo, signed from Brighton for £115 million, anchors midfield with relentless duels and ball-carrying. Enzo Fernández provides vision, passing range and has evolved into a goal threat, becoming a key creative and attacking presence.
AM: Cole Palmer
Palmer is the focal point of attack, capable of decisive moments from the right or as No. 10 with a special left foot.
RW: Estêvão
The 18-year-old Estêvão Willian has shown glimpses of top potential after signing in 2024, and Maresca appears ready to bring him through carefully.
LW: Pedro Neto
Pacy and effective on either flank, Neto has found form since joining last summer and delivers dangerous crosses from the left.
ST: João Pedro
João Pedro, the only summer 2025 arrival to start, hit the ground running with five goals and two assists in his first six matches and helped secure the 2025 Club World Cup. With Liam Delap injured and Nicolas Jackson now at Bayern Munich, Pedro is the primary striker option with Marc Guiu as cover.
Chelsea
Chelsea Charged by the FA Over 74 Alleged Regulatory Breaches
FA charges name 74 alleged breaches from 2009 to 2022; club self-reported during 2022 takeover deal.
Chelsea have been formally charged by the Football Association with 74 alleged breaches of FA regulations after a review of historical transactions. The charges cover conduct between 2009 and 2022, with the focus on activity during the 2010/11 to 2015/16 seasons.
The FA set out the allegations in a statement: “The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of Regulations J1 and C2 of The FA Football Agents Regulations, Regulations A2 and A3 of The FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries, and Regulations A1 and B3 of The FA Third Party Investment in Players Regulations.
“In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. The conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events which occurred between the 2010/11 to 2015/16 playing seasons.
“Chelsea FC has until 19 September 2025 to respond.”
The club’s current owners, BlueCo, identified the issues during their 2022 takeover and immediately self-reported to the FA, the Premier League and UEFA. Sky Sports News have revealed that transfers involving Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian were among the transactions that “raised potential concerns”, with alleged breaches linked to payments to offshore companies and to players’ families and representatives that were not recorded in official accounts.
BlueCo reportedly withheld £100 million from the £2.5 billion purchase price to cover “unforeseen liabilities” while the club has cooperated with the investigators. Chelsea has already agreed an £8.6 million fine with UEFA, and reporting has suggested a financial penalty from the Premier League is likely. It has also been reported that the club are “confident” their self-reporting will help them avoid a points deduction or transfer ban.
Chelsea issued a formal response that reiterated the voluntary disclosure and the club’s co-operation: “Chelsea FC is pleased to confirm that its engagement with The FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion.
“The club’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on 30 May 2022. During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules. Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the Club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including The FA.
“The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club’s files and historical data. We will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible. We wish to place on record our gratitude to The FA for their engagement with the club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago.”
Chelsea
Hoeneß: My Comments on Nicolas Jackson Were a Mathematical Clarification, Not Disrespect
Hoeneß says his comments on Nicolas Jackson were mathematical, not a sign of disrespect. Clarifies..
Bayern Munich veteran figurehead Uli Hoeneß has pushed back after his remarks about Nicolas Jackson’s loan terms were widely interpreted as a sign of distrust. Hoeneß says his intention was to clarify the mathematical likelihood of the obligation to buy being triggered, and to defend the club’s sporting director.
“What annoyed me a lot is the stupidity of some journalists,” Hoeneß told Sky Sports Germany . “They interpreted my words as if I had something against Jackson.
“These [journalists] didn’t pay attention in maths because I said he won’t play 40 games from the start. We still have 32 Bundesliga games. If we reach the Champions League final, which we hope we will, that adds 13 games. The total is 45 games. The DFB Pokal games do not count. So he would have to start all these games.
“He will go to the Africa Cup of Nations in January, so he can’t start 40 games, that’s what I said. What I wanted was to help Max [Eberl, sporting director], because he was accused of granting this [obligation to buy].
“The same goes for the fact that the player and his agent contributed to the deal. That’s something positive, because it took the loan fee down to €13.5 million. Those are positive things.”
The club calculation Hoeneß described rests on the available fixtures this season: 32 Bundesliga games and up to 13 Champions League matches if Bayern reached the final, a total of 45 matches excluding DFB Pokal. The Africa Cup of Nations runs from Dec. 21 to Jan. 18, a period the draft notes covers three Bundesliga games for Bayern, not including a fixture currently scheduled for Dec. 20. Vincent Kompany’s side are back in Champions League action on Jan. 21.
As Eberl points out, Jackson could miss as many as five games if Senegal enjoy a deep run at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning the striker may have to start every single match for Bayern to even have a chance of triggering a €65 million (£56.2 million, $76.1 million) permanent departure from Chelsea.
