Chelsea are currently enjoying the last international break of the 2024/25 campaign and it has come at a good time for Enzo Maresca’s side, who were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Blues are still in a great position in the division, in fourth place, and are fighting to secure a place in the Champions League for next season.
Maresca came to Stamford Bridge from newly-promoted Leicester City last summer and was backed by the board in the transfer window, as the likes of Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Filip Jorgensen, among others, were all brought in to bolster the squad.
Unfortunately, however, Neto is the only one of those players who has established himself as a regular option for the manager, starting 16 of his 26 appearances in the Premier League.
Defending, and goalkeeping, has been an issue for Chelsea after they opted against recruiting big-money defensive reinforcements last summer, as they have conceded 37 times in 29 league matches – more than any of the three teams ahead of them.
One position that the Blues have not filled in recent seasons has been the number six position – a screener in front of the defence to mop up attacks.
The best holding midfielder in Chelsea history
Chelsea have enjoyed the luxury of having some exceptional holding midfielders in their squads over the years during their successful periods in the Premier League in the past.
Claude Makelele joined the club from Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 and went on to play 217 times for the London giants, winning two Premier League titles and two League Cup trophies.
He played 36 times in the top-flight in the 2004/05 title-winning season for Chelsea, in which the side only conceded 15 goals. That remains a defensive record in the league and illustrates how much of a difference having a top-quality holding midfielder can make.
The French titan’s performances at the base of the midfield were so good that Chelsea’s official website even recognises that the term ‘the Makelele role’ has often been used to describe the number six position. The fact that his name is used as a synonym for the role speaks to how effective he was in it.
The video from Tifo football above explains exactly what the ‘Makelele role’ was, as he was often the deepest-lying midfielder in a 4-3-3 or 4-1-2-1-2 system – described as the ‘anchor’ of the team.
In the present day, Manchester City star and current Ballon d’Or holder Rodri is a great example of what the modern ‘Makelele role’ looks like, as the Spaniard sits in front of his back four and helps to feed the two more attack-minded midfielders either side of him in a 4-3-3 system.
The Chelsea board may, however, have just signed a player who could be unearthed as the club’s new version of Makelele, in Sporting defensive midfielder Dario Essugo.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Why Dario Essugo could be Claude Makelele 2.0
Firstly, the Blues have officially completed the signings of Geovany Quenda and Essugo from the Portuguese giants this week, ahead of the summer transfer window.
Quenda will spend the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Sporting before officially linking up with his new teammates in the summer of 2026, whilst the midfield star could join the first-team this summer.
As explained in the clip above, the Premier League giants have agreed to spend up to £60m to sign the two young starlets, and that the club view Essugo as a ‘ball-winner’.
They also explained that Chelsea have been impressed by the Portuguese dynamo’s ‘rapid’ development on loan at Las Palmas this season, which speaks to his ability to take on information and improve as a player.
The 20-year-old star has spent the season on loan in the Spanish top-flight and has started all 17 of his appearances in LaLiga, gaining valuable experience in one of Europe’s major leagues.
At the age of 20, Essugo is far from the finished article and has some areas of his game that need to be improved, such as his discipline, as he has been sent off twice in 2025 already.
The latest Chelsea signing, who also has the quality to score goals like in the clip above, could initially arrive at Stamford Bridge as a back-up or rotation option, with a view to him developing into a vital player for Maresca in the future.
He has already shown plenty of promising signs during his time in LaLiga. Talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as a “one-man army” in midfield after seeing him play for Las Palmas.
His statistics for the Spanish side in comparison to Moises Caicedo’s form in the Premier League for Chelsea this season illustrate just how impressive his defensive instincts in the number six position are.
Tackles won
2.26
1.77
Interceptions
1.91
1.45
Clearances
2.26
1.42
Shots blocked
0.55
0.32
Percentage of dribblers tackled
62.2%
62.1%
Aerial battles won
1.37
0.89
As you can see in the table above, Essugo has outperformed the Ecuador international in a host of key defensive metrics at the base of Las Palmas’ midfield this term.
These statistics suggest that he has the potential to eventually offer a better screen in front of the defence than Caicedo does, as he can make more challenges and interceptions to cut out attacks and create counter-attacks for the Blues.
Essugo, who has also completed 86% of his attempted passes in LaLiga, sits at the base of the midfield and reads the game brilliantly to step in at the right time to make vital interventions to prevent his defence from being worked too much.
This is why Maresca could unearth Chelsea’s new Makelele by unleashing the Portuguese talent next season, or in the seasons to come, because he seemingly has all the attributes to perform ‘the Makelele role’.
Chelsea vying to sign "fearless" £35m attacker who's been likened to Palmer
The Blues have set their sights on a forward with a similar play-style to talisman Cole Palmer.
ByDominic LundMar 20, 2025
However, it is now down to Essugo to arrive at Cobham in the summer and to fight to earn his place in the starting XI, and then to live up to Makelele’s legacy in that position – as difficult as that is – to go on and become a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.