Enzo Fernandez continues to be linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer but the Chelsea midfielder’s focus is on Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and Spain
Former Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes all of the noise around Enzo Fernandez in recent months might have already decided the Argentine’s future.
Fernandez came out during the March international break and delivered a bombshell interview where the Blues midfielder refused to clarify whether he would be playing his football at Stamford Bridge next season and also suggested how he would one day like to live in Madrid. With Real Madrid interested in the Argentine, those comments stung Chelsea, whose head coach at the time, Liam Rosenior, made the decision to suspend Fernandez for two games.
Reacting to the suspension, Fernandez’s agent Javier Pastore defended his client and said the punishment was “completely unfair”. Fast forward to the end of the season and the inevitable speculation over the former Benfica midfielder’s future started to pile up.
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Real Madrid, sources say, expressed an interest in Fernandez towards the start of the summer transfer window but there were no direct club-to-club talks between Los Blancos and Chelsea. Pastore then came out and said “Real Madrid likes Enzo, and he likes Real Madrid. Now we just have to wait a little while,” and that sparked a remarkable statement from the Spanish giants where they said they are not interested in the Argentina international and will not be making a move for him this summer.
It has all been quiet since then, bar a few murmurs from Spain that Atletico Madrid are interested in Fernandez. From Chelsea’s perspective, it is simple: £120million and he’s yours, if not, then he will be playing his football under Xabi Alonso next season.
Petit, though, believes the burnt bridges might prove too much for Fernandez to resurrect his Chelsea career.
Speaking to BOYLE Sports, Petit said: “Chelsea fans feel that Enzo Fernandez is no longer committed to the club. He was punished previously for his comments, and that is a reflection of what he thinks inside. It seems obvious he doesn’t want to stay.
“Real Madrid say they are not interested anymore, which might be a financial matter. When I watch him, I wonder what his best position is; is he a midfielder, a winger, or a ‘No.9 and a half’? I don’t know what his mission is on the pitch.
“His communication has not been good for months. If you ask Chelsea fans, they will say he has to leave. Forcing him to stay is a risk, as it takes weeks to change the fans’ mentality.
“I would love him to be a leader at Chelsea, but does he want to? It’s clear he doesn’t so I’m not sure Xabi Alonso can change that.”
Former Chelsea midfielder Andy Townsend believes Fernandez will be ready to “hit the ground” running at Stamford Bridge once his post-World Cup break is over. Speaking to CasinoHawks, Townsend said: “I would think Xabi Alonso would want to keep him, as the club spent a lot of money on him.
“I’m not sure what sort of money they would expect to get back on Enzo if they were going to sell him. I think he’ll be ready after a break to hit the ground running for Chelsea.
“Cole Palmer has become the main man at Chelsea recently, which must have been disappointing for others. But Enzo is at a good age and has good experience.
“If Argentina win this competition again, he would be a two-time World Cup winner. He should be ready to lead Chelsea from the front as one of their absolute shining lights every week.
“I don’t think he’s always been that yet, but I don’t think Xabi Alonso would want to sell him. He has good experience and an understanding of English football now.
“From both a Chelsea and personal point of view, it would be nice for him to have a really strong season, as I don’t think he’s quite had that yet.”
From Fernandez’s perspective, all of his focus is on Argentina’s World Cup final showdown with Spain on Sunday evening. The Chelsea midfielder broke English hearts on Wednesday night by scoring an 85th-minute beauty from long distance to level the semi-final before Lisandro Martinez headed in a stoppage-time winner for the reigning world champions in Atlanta.
