Chelsea find themselves in an awkward situation right now as Liam Rosenior recently announced a two-game ban for Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine’s name has been drawing headlines lately. But it is all speculation regarding a potential exit.
There is no denying the fact that Fernandez is having some issues with the Blues currently. They have failed to live up to the expectations that had been set by BlueCo, who planned to build one of the most dominant teams in Europe.
During a recent interview, the Argentine midfielder was asked about which city he would like to live in the near future and the 25-year-old named Madrid out of all places. Of course, he has constantly been linked with a move to Santiago Bernabeu in recent months.
He is seen as a prime candidate to reinforce the Real Madrid midfield during the summer transfer window. And due to the player’s comments, Rosenior and the club management decided to suspend him for the Blues’ next two games against Port Vale and Manchester City as disciplinary action.
What Enzo Fernandez’s agent thinks of the situation with Chelsea
This decision from the club has also been subject to much criticism. A lot of fans do not seem to agree with leaving out one of their key players from two massively important games, especially when they have been so poor lately.
Fernandez’s agent, Javier Pastore, also seems to be of the same opinion. He feels his client and fellow Argentine’s two game ban has been ‘unfair’.
The problems might not stem from Chelsea’s underwhelming performances on the pitch. It might have more to do with his contract situation.
It is believed that the two parties have been talking behind the scenes regarding a new contract but have failed to find an agreement. Of course, if Fernandez was overly concerned regarding Chelsea’s struggles, why would he entertain the idea of a renewal?
Pastore said while talking to The Athletic regarding the situation:
There have been talks about renewing his contract, yes. We started discussing it around December or January, but we couldn’t reach an agreement. As Enzo’s contract still has six years to run, we decided not to renew it because the terms weren’t right for us or for the player; given what Enzo is capable of today, he deserves much more than he’s currently earning.
We haven’t reached an agreement and it may be that this annoyed the club, given that he is a hugely important player, but these are things that have to be managed. I look at the sporting and financial aspects of the player’s situation, and I didn’t see that renewal coming to fruition because they weren’t very realistic about Enzo’s current situation.
We felt that rather than renewing on terms that wouldn’t make the player happy, it was better to leave things as they are and focus on playing and performing well, as they have important objectives until May: qualifying for the Champions League. We decided to put that out of our minds and focus 100 per cent on the crucial fixtures with Chelsea and also the World Cup with Argentina, which will demand a great amount of concentration. We don’t want to get into discussions about figures, contracts and negotiations when the timing wasn’t right.
Our plan after the World Cup is to meet with Chelsea again and, if there is no agreement, to explore other options.
Probable outcomes of the ongoing saga
Pastore himself has the experience of playing at the big clubs. Undoubtedly, the former PSG player would work in the best interests of his client.
Despite Fernandez’s contract running until 2032, Real Madrid could definitely find a way to bring the Argentine to the Santiago Bernabeu during the upcoming summer. They have done on numerous other occasions. But, of course, it is Chelsea who hold most of the cards, thanks to the midfielder’s long-term deal. They would look for a transfer fee north of £100 million to let him leave.
