Dario Essugo: Chelsea continue Deadline Day exodus as midfielder completes Strasbourg loan

The Portuguese has joined Chelsea’s sister club in Ligue 1 on a season-long loan for the duration of the 2026-27 season.Essugo was originally lined up for a move to Hull City after Chelsea decided to make him available for loan for this campaign.But Hull pulled out of the deal after prioritising other arrivals on a busy Transfer Deadline Day for both clubs.That led Chelsea to arrange a loan move to Strasbourg, where he will join his Blues teammate Filip Jorgensen, with the goalkeeper also on loan with the Alsace-based club.Exit confirmed: Dario EssugoGettyEssugo is expected to receive a greater level of game time at Strasbourg than Xabi Alonso could have promised him if he had remained with Chelsea.His departure, and the sale of Enzo Fernandez for £125million, leaves Chelsea with five first-team midfielders for the 2026-27 campaign. Valentin Barco has signed from Strasbourg and joins Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, summer signing Jordan Henderson, and club captain Reece James.Dario Essugo represented Chelsea five teams in all competitions last season in an injury-disrupted first full campaign with the club.The midfielder has not represented the Blues this term and is now set to travel to France and join Strasbourg until June 2027.He is not the first Chelsea star to have made that move today, with striker Deivid Washington also joining the Blues’ sister club on a permanent transfer. Washington departs having made just three first-team appearances since joining in 2023, playing primarily for the club’s youth sides and spending a season on loan at Santos since.