A look at Chelsea’s injury absences ahead of the 5th round FA Cup clash against Wrexham at the STōK Cae Ras.
Three weeks have passed since Wrexham drew Chelsea in the FA Cup, and the big day is now just 24 hours away. But the fact that Wrexham view this clash as a massive Cupset opportunity speaks to the astronomical difference between the two sides.
Theoretically, it’s an FA Cup tie between sides from the top two tiers of English football. However, a comparison of their squad values paints an altogether different picture.
At best, Wrexham’s squad is worth around £50 million. On the other side, Chelsea is speculated to miss players worth more than this valuation for their upcoming FA Cup tie against Wrexham.
That’s because the Blues’ injury absences mean they will miss £102.5m worth of signings for the FA Cup 5th round clash. That sum, while substantial, is just a fraction of Chelsea’s billion-dollar squad.
Chelsea’s injured players list reads:
Estêvão – Signed for £29m in 2025
Jamie-Bynoe Gittens – Signed for £55m in 2025
Dário Essugo – Signed for £18.5m in 2025
Levi Colwill – Academy graduate
Estêvão(Forward-Right Winger)
The first name on Chelsea’s injury list for the FA Cup game is Brazilian sensation Estêvão. Ever since arriving for the Blues last summer, the winger has shown flashes of his exceptional talent time and again.
At just 18 years of age, he’s yet to emerge as an undisputed starter for Chelsea in the Premier League. However, his importance is understated by the fact that he’s been a mainstay for the club’s UCL campaign.
If not for picking up a hamstring in a training session in the last weeks, Estêvão would’ve flown to Paris for Chelsea’s upcoming UCL game vs PSG.
Despite an impressive Cup record with 3 G/A in 6 appearances, the teenage star stood unlikely to feature against Wrexham. His injury merely provides a formal reason for his absence in the FA Cup 5th round tie.
Jamie-Bynoe Gittens(Forward-Left Winger)
Next comes the most expensive Chelsea signing on this injury list. Despite completing a massive £55m move last summer, Gittens is yet to stand up to the expectations of the Chelsea faithful.
While the winger has 6 goal contributions in 27 appearances, most of them have come in Cup competitions. It’s fair to say his move has been subpar so far, falling well short of the expectation that he would take the Premier League by storm.
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If not for sustaining a hamstring tear against West Ham in late January, Wrexham would’ve anticipated Gittens’ participation. Given his brilliant Cup record of 3 goal contributions in 4 games, Gittens’ presence could’ve been crucial to decide Wrexham’s 6th-round hopes.
Safe to say, Wrexham takes a breath of relief as he is expected to return in late March.
Dário Essugo(Defensive Midfielder)
After joining Chelsea for £18.5m last summer, Essugo’s only appearances have come in the Club World Cup 2025. At the competition, he played only 38 minutes before picking up a long-term injury with Portugal U21s ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
While this sidelined Dário Essugo for the first half of the season, another injury setback in January 2026 has restricted him from playing for Chelsea so far this season.
If the injury setback hadn’t prolonged his recovery time till March, Essugo would’ve been a favourite to start against Wrexham. Being an up-and-rising talent, the defensive midfielder could have come as a brilliant option for Liam Rosenior in rotating his side ahead of the UCL tie next week.
For this reason, Essugo’s injury absence is crucial for Wrexham. Otherwise, the Reds would have had to battle the Portuguese midfielder at the centre of the park.
Levi Colwill(Center-Back)
The final name on Chelsea’s injury list is that of academy product Levi Colwill. While his performances have seen him make a name for himself in recent years, Wrexham fans remember Colwill for separate reasons.
Notably, Colwill was the Chelsea player who got into a heated confrontation with James McClean in the 2024 US friendly between Wrexham and Chelsea.
The incident began with McCLean committing a rash challenge on Colwill early in the friendly encounter. The Blues star didn’t like it, and their faceoff turned into a complete team brawl until the managers stepped in to separate their sides.
With McClean’s winter departure and Colwill’s season-long absence due to ACL injury, there is no chance of the duo battling against each other this time.
In any case, Colwill would have been on his way to Paris for the Champions League clash with PSG if he were fit. As it stands, his injury officially rules him out of the Wrexham tie, though he was unlikely to feature in the first place.
READ MORE WREXHAM NEWS HERE:
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- ‘Doesn’t matter’ – Wrexham fans react to new Championship playoff format announcement
- ‘Operation’ – Wrexham receive fresh midfield blow ten days after Ben Sheaf’s injury
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