In a telling show of the club’s priorities, Chelsea have handed incoming arrival Dário Essugo the No. 14 shirt which had been worn by João Félix last season.
The Portuguese forward only joined Chelsea on a permanent transfer less than 12 months ago, agreeing a £45 million ($60.9 million) deal and penning a contract which stretches until 2031. Within six months, Enzo Maresca had already stopped relying upon Félix, who spent the second half of the 2024–25 campaign on loan at AC Milan.
A bright start to life in San Siro prompted wildly premature comparisons to Kaká, the Brazilian icon who served as an inspiration to Félix himself. The affection was mutual. “I’m liking everything: the club, the people, the infrastructure,” the elfin forward gushed back in February.
“My family and I have received a great welcome and I want to be in a place where I feel good. Things can change in football, but if there’s the chance to stay here, I’d like that.”
That chance has not materialised. Félix quickly fell out of favour under Milan’s manager at the time, Sérgio Conceição, dropping to the bench for the season’s key fixtures. The mercurial 25-year-old ended the campaign with goals in back-to-back league starts, yet Milan’s spot in mid-table mediocrity had already been secured by then, with focus shifted towards the Coppa Italia. Felix didn’t start a single game in the knockout stages of the competition which Milan ended with defeat to Bologna in the final.
Multiple outlets have claimed that Milan are not prepared to make Félix’s loan signing permanent, but Chelsea haven’t afforded their costly recruit a warm welcome back by robbing him of his squad number. Félix has also been left out of the club’s squad for this month’s Club World Cup, along with several other high-profile figures including Raheem Sterling.
Essugo’s arrival from Sporting CP was confirmed back in March, shortly after Chelsea usurped Manchester United to snap up his compatriot and clubmate Geovany Quenda. While Quenda will spend the 2025–26 campaign on loan in Lisbon, Essugo is expected to sport his No. 14 at the Club World Cup. “It’s a big step to make in my early career,” the defensive midfielder told his new team’s in-house media.
“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!”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Strip Player of Squad Number, Hand it to New Signing.
