Chelsea
Maresca: Palmer withdrew with groin issue as Chelsea rout West Ham 5-1
Palmer withdrew before kick-off with a groin concern; Maresca said Chelsea coped in a 5-1 win. Plus.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed Cole Palmer had been carrying a groin complaint in the days leading up to the victory over West Ham. Palmer was withdrawn from the starting line-up before kick-off and was replaced by Estevao.
The Blues responded emphatically at the London Stadium, winning 5-1 with goals from Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalonah.
On Palmer’s availability, Maresca said: “Cole in the last four or five days was not 100%.
“Today he tried the warm-up, but he felt something. So we prefer not to take any risk to get worse. And we’ll see in the next hours if it’s something important or not.
“The Palace game, he was not 100%. But he is trying to make a big effort for the club, for the team, for the fans. Tonight again he tried again, but it was not very good.”
Maresca was also asked whether the result demonstrated Chelsea are not entirely dependent on Palmer. He refused to accept simple headlines about reliance on a single player and outlined the context from the past season.
He said: “You know already how I feel, that I don’t care about.
“You are there to say things and people, in general, they are there to say something. The ones that they say that we are just a Cole team, for sure, Cole is our best player, no doubt. For sure, when we have Cole, we are a much, much, much better team.
“But I think we already showed last year, in two or three months, where Cole, unfortunately for us, was not 100%. When we achieved top four, that no-one expected. And the most important thing, no-one asked me in the first season to finish top four in the Champions League. They asked me in two years (to finish) in the Champions League.”
The manager’s comments underlined a cautious approach to Palmer’s injury while noting the squad’s capacity to deliver a comprehensive win in his absence.
Chelsea
Dário Essugo Withdrawn from Portugal U21s After Right-Thigh Muscle Problem
Dário Essugo withdrew from Portugal U21s after a right-thigh muscle problem following training. Sept
Chelsea have lost young midfielder Dário Essugo to injury during the September international break at the start of the 2025–26 season. The knock came while the player was with Portugal U21s and has forced him to withdraw from squad involvement.
Essugo was among a large summer recruitment drive after qualification for the Champions League. The player traders at BlueCo added 10 to the squad and Essugo arrived from Sporting CP for £18.5 million ($23.9 million) in June. The 20-year-old was always viewed primarily as depth; he earned 38 minutes across three appearances during Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign but has yet to play at the start of his Premier League career.
In September he was called up to the Portugal U21s but was later excused from the group after picking up the problem. “The Chelsea midfielder was excused from training due to a muscle problem in his right thigh, which he suffered after training on Monday,” the Portuguese Football Federation confirmed. “The athlete was evaluated by the Portuguese Football Federation’s Health and Performance Department on Tuesday morning and was declared unavailable.”
Essugo’s planned role this season is to provide cover for Moisés Caicedo. Caicedo’s own international break has been affected by fitness concerns: the Ecuador midfielder sat out his side’s first game and was spotted training with a brace around his knee. The prevailing view within the club was that Caicedo’s absence was more precautionary than the result of a serious issue.
The timing of Essugo’s withdrawal is unwelcome for Chelsea as the squad adapts to a busier calendar, but the club’s summer signings were intended to build resilience across a crowded schedule. The immediate impact will be on selection options while the youngster completes assessment and recovery.
Chelsea
Santos turned down €70m Al Qadsiah offer to protect World Cup hopes
Andrey Santos rejected a €70m Al Qadsiah bid to prioritise his World Cup ambitions at Chelsea. This.
Andrey Santos has confirmed he rejected a significant summer approach from Saudi side Al Qadsiah after Chelsea opened talks over a €70 million offer. UOL revealed earlier this week that the bid, worth €70 million (£60.7 million, $82 million), prompted Chelsea to consider an exit for the midfielder.
Santos said he declined despite the opportunity to earn more than five times his current salary in the Middle East. “The offer did arrive, but I immediately declined because of my dream and main goal, which is the World Cup,” Santos told Trivela . “I know that being at Chelsea and in the Premier League gives me better chances than in Saudi Arabia. That was the main factor in my response to them.”
The 2025/26 season context has left Santos focused on forcing his way into Brazil’s squad for next season’s World Cup. He is aiming to move up Chelsea’s midfield pecking order under boss Enzo Maresca, who also has Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo among his options.
Santos has featured as a substitute in each of Chelsea’s three Premier League games to date, usually deployed slightly higher than the defensive role in which he impressed while at Strasbourg. He has been clear about where he prefers to operate on the pitch. “I really enjoy playing as a defensive midfielder,” Santos continued. “I even think it’s my main position, because I grew up as a defensive midfielder. When I moved up to Vasco, it was as a defensive midfielder. At Chelsea, I play a bit further forward, but I feel comfortable playing in both positions.”
Bayern Munich had also been linked as a suitor during the window, but Santos’s public stance is that remaining at Chelsea and competing in the Premier League offers the best pathway to his World Cup objective.
Bayern Munich
Hoeneß: Jackson’s Bayern Loan Will Only Become Permanent If He Starts 40 Matches
Hoeneß says Jackson must start 40 matches this season for Bayern to trigger a permanent deal. clause
Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeneß has outlined a strict condition on Nicolas Jackson’s loan from Chelsea: the deal will only become permanent if Jackson starts 40 games across all competitions this season.
Hoeneß also addressed the headline fee attached to the single-season loan, which had been reported as a record €16.5 million (£14.3 million, $19.3 million). He said part of that sum was covered by Jackson and his agents. “Firstly, it wasn’t €16.5 million, the player and his agents paid €3 million,” Hoeneß said during an appearance on Doppelpass. “The player cost €13.5 million.”
Hoeneß defended the pricing in context. “If a player costs €80 million across a five-year contract, it costs around €16 million every year, so it’s a good transfer.” When the prospect of the purchase clause being triggered was raised, Hoeneß laughed: “He must play 40 games as a starter. He’ll never do that.”
The club’s fixture load and squad pecking order explain Hoeneß’s confidence. Bayern played 56 matches across all competitions last season, including five games at the Club World Cup. They exited the Champions League in the quarter-final and the DFB Pokal in the last 16.
On the field, Harry Kane remains Bayern’s undisputed starting striker when fit. The left wing is filled by Luis Díaz following his £65.5 million switch from Liverpool, while Michael Olise is a near-permanent starter on the right. Those factors, Hoeneß suggested, leave Jackson facing a clear battle for opportunities as a starter this season.
The condition set by Hoeneß ties Jackson’s future to consistent starts rather than isolated appearances, and it places the onus on the player to displace established options if Bayern are to trigger the purchase clause.
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