Young midfielder making an assist during a blue-and-white loan debut football match

Dario Essugo makes instant mark in Strasbourg loan debut

By Declan Farrow - 8th Sep 2026, 05:00pm

Dario Essugo made an immediate impact off the bench for Strasbourg with an assist in a 6-2 win over Troyes, one of five standout performances in the latest London loan watch featuring Chelsea, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Fulham players.

Read the full round up over on the Standard.

Essugo’s Strasbourg debut headlines wider loan watch

The Standard’s latest London loan watch, published on 7 September 2026, rounds up five performances from last weekend’s fixtures across the capital’s Premier League exports. It comes after a summer in which Chelsea and Tottenham in particular underwent significant squad overhauls, according to the Standard, pushing plenty of fringe players out on loan before the window shut.

Essugo was the deadline-day arrival at Strasbourg, joining Filip Jorgensen and Genesis Antwi at the BlueCo sister club this season. He came off the bench to grab an assist as Strasbourg thumped newly promoted Troyes 6-2, a bright start after a debut campaign at Chelsea disrupted by injury that limited him to just five appearances last season. Anyone following the club’s other temporary exits, including Axel Disasi’s loan at Crystal Palace, will know Chelsea have leaned heavily on the loan market again this season.

What it means for the clubs involved

Essugo will hope for more regular minutes at Strasbourg after a stop-start first year in west London, much like Benoit Badiashile’s temporary move to Napoli is designed to get him proper game time. Elsewhere, Tottenham’s Jamie Donley opened the scoring for Luton in a 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient, starting for the third straight game and giving Spurs reason to keep tabs on his progress.

Mikey Moore, also on loan from Tottenham, came off the bench for Koln and set up a late consolation in a 4-1 defeat by Stuttgart. Rio Cardines continues to shine for Bristol City, unbeaten in his four appearances and named Player of the Month for August after another assist, while Fulham’s Aaron Loupalo-Bi scored off the bench to help Fleetwood stay unbeaten in League Two. It’s a mixed bag of levels and leagues, not unlike Alejandro Garnacho’s loan spell at Aston Villa, but the through-line is clear: London’s big clubs are trusting the loan pathway to develop their fringe talent.