20 May 2026 11:58 BST |
5 min read
Enzo Fernandez faces an uncertain summer at Chelsea but the appointment of Xabi Alonso – as well as the impending arrival of Enzo Maresca at Manchester City – could change everything for the Argentine star.
Fernandez netted his tenth Premier League goal of the season and provided an assist in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Tottenham on Tuesday, signifying just how important the 25-year-old has been for the Blues in a difficult campaign.
Yet it feels as though Fernandez’s days at Stamford Bridge are numbered despite him having six years remaining on his contract, having repeatedly expressed his desire to move to Madrid, much to Chelsea’s fury.
Fernandez has been a tense figure in West London since the departure of Maresca in January and any doubt over his future will not be helped by Chelsea missing out on Champions League football for next season.
Speculation over Fernandez will only have further intensified this week with the news that Maresca is set to replace Pep Guardiola as City manager, with previous reports claiming that the Italian is keen to reunite with the Chelsea star at his new club.
However, in Alonso, Chelsea may have pulled off the only appointment that could convince Fernandez to resist a big money move this summer and stay with the club along with his other unsettled teammates.
Xabi Alonso: The key to keeping Chelsea’s stars and saving the BlueCo project
At 5pm on Saturday, Chelsea were considered a club in turmoil – managerless and coming off the back of an FA Cup final defeat with a young, expensive squad severely lacking in identity.
Yet, within two hours of the full-time whistle at Wembley, news broke that an agreement had been reached with Alonso for the highly-rated Spaniard to become Chelsea’s new manager in a move that was formally confirmed on Monday.
Suddenly there was cause for optimism and a belief that Chelsea’s project could be salvaged by appointing one of the most innovative and in-demand coaches on the market.
The news was followed up with a victory over rivals Spurs to give Chelsea their first win eight Premier League matches, with Fernandez at the heart of it and, they would hope, at the centre of their rebuild under Alonso too.
It will be a similar story for Marc Cucurella, who was linked with a move to Atletico Madrid this week, having also grown disillusioned at Chelsea after Maresca’s departure.
Chelsea’s Spanish-speaking stars are believed to have a significant influence in the dressing room and, having had a close relationship with Maresca, there was a belief from some that they were largely responsible for the decline under his replacement Liam Rosenior.
It was expected that the likes of Cucurella and Fernandez would push for an exit this summer but the arrival of Alonso will at least see the pair sit down with their new manager and soften any stance of a departure.
With City desperate to sign a big money midfielder this summer, Maresca may certainly push to sign Fernandez but Chelsea would likely demand a profit on the €121 million they spent on the former Benfica man in 2023, making a deal difficult.
Instead, Alonso’s first task will be to appease his Latin stars and convince them that he can take Chelsea back to their previous glories and shake off any doubts over the club’s long-term project.
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