Right after Chelsea’s 8-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of PSG to get knocked out of the Champions League, Enzo Fernandez was asked about his future at the club. In the days leading up to the game, rumours had broken out that the Argentine was considering a summer exit. And speaking after the game, he did not rule out the possibility of leaving.
On the back of those comments, it felt like Fernandez leaving was inevitable. When such reports are broken by reliable journalists and a player openly does not rule out an exit, it often means one thing.
Yet, it looks like there is a potential twist in the Fernandez saga. It has now been suggested by Liam Rosenior that he is fully committed to Chelsea and winning with the club.
According to BBC Sport, Rosenior said: “I had a great conversation with Enzo at length this morning before training, not just about his comments but how he is feeling, how as a team we can improve.
“He is one of the captains at the club and what I will say is that he made it really clear how happy he is here at this club, how much he wants to win and how passionate he is for us to be successful.
“He also said that in translation and in emotion, things get misconstrued. For me, he is fully committed to this group and to winning here at this football club.”
Has Fernandez made a U-turn or is this damage control?
Of course, it is possible for comments to get misconstrued. Especially when it comes to modern football media. So, have we all made a lot more of this situation than actually exists? Or is this just damage control on the part of Chelsea?
At the end of the day, there is a lot to play for this season. Chelsea have fallen behind in the race to qualify for the Champions League. But they are not completely out of it yet.
If they are to have any hope of making it though, they will need to be at their very best. That would be impossible to do if there is constant speculation about one of the club captains between now and the end of the season.
Fernandez leaving could be the beginning of the end for this Chelsea project
Fernandez was pretty much the starting point of this BlueCo project. In the summer of 2022, the club did not have this transfer model in place. Instead, they had actually gone out and signed players like Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella. Experienced and proven names.
But in the winter window of 2023, they would go out and sign Fernandez from Benfica, straight after his World Cup win with Argentina. It was an ambitious move. And over time, he has become a key player for Chelsea.
If Fernandez leaves, it could be the beginning of the end of this project, and a reality check for BlueCo. The reality is that top players are not going to stick around forever, hoping that their plans work out. The Argentine might be the first to go. But it would not take long for the likes of Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo to start considering their futures, if they are not already.
