Chelsea might be about to lose one of the faces of this BlueCo project. The Blues left no stone unturned when they managed to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in early 2023. The Argentine seems to be headed for the exit door a little over three years after that move. And it is not hard to see why.
Chelsea have shown little progress over their four seasons under the BlueCo model. In fact, they were doing better while facing sanctions in the final months of the Roman Abramovich era, when the club’s long-term future was not even clear.
Since the takeover, they have spent north of a billion pounds and the squad can’t even qualify for the Champions League consistently. This season they did, and were handed an 8-2 aggregate defeat by PSG in the round of 16.
So, it is no surprise that players like Fernandez could be looking to leave. The Blues will need to sign a replacement if he does. Could it be Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest?
Sam Allardyce tips Elliot Anderson for Chelsea move
Anderson is one of the most highly-rated midfielders in the Premier League. It would take a transfer fee around £100 million to convince Nottingham Forest to sanction a move.
Sam Allardyce seems to believe that he would be perfect for this Blues squad though. According to The Chelsea Chronicle, the iconic English manager said while speaking on the Tippy Tappy Football podcast: “He might be at Chelsea. He’s a good age for the Chelsea boys, he’s in their category, young and talented.”
Would Anderson be a good replacement for Fernandez?
Of course, Anderson would not be an out-and-out replacement for Fernandez. They are very different types of players.
Fernandez shines with the ball at his feet. And in recent seasons, he has shown his ability to crash the box and score consistently. On the other hand, Anderson is someone who is at his best on the defensive end of things. He can win tackles, regain possession and make progressive carries.
If Chelsea do sign Anderson to replace Fernandez, it would probably mean that Moises Caicedo would have more of a freer role while the Nottingham Forest man would sit back.
That being said, it feels like Chelsea could do a much better job of replacing Fernandez than signing Anderson. He is a brilliant player without a doubt, but it just is not the right fit for this team. Moving Caicedo up would feel like having N’Golo Kante be more of an attacking midfielder, which some managers did try to do for a few seasons at Stamford Bridge. But ultimately, it is the defensive side of the Frenchman’s game that won them the Champions League. Play people in their best positions instead of constant tweaks and changes.
