Chelsea apparently are now fighting on two fronts. On one side, they carry on with their quest to secure Champions League qualification for next season. On the other hand, they try to keep their squad closely knit.
A couple of their senior players, Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez recently showed uncertainty over the board’s decisions over the past few seasons. And it is not hard to understand why. Fans have had the same concerns for years now.
While Cucurella faced no consequences for his comments, Fernandez was handed a two-match suspension by the club management. The Argentine mentioned Madrid as a city he wanted to live in in the future, amidst the ongoing rumours of a possible move to the Bernabeu during the summer transfer window.
The World Cup winner’s agent, Javier Pastore, meanwhile, gave some insights on Fernandez’s current situation. At one point, he openly mentioned that they would “explore other options” after the World Cup if they failed to reach a contract renewal with the Blues. But since then, he has also come out and tried to settle things down a bit. Many saw this softening of the stance as a sign that that the Argentine was set to stay. But is that the case?
Fabrizio Romano clarifies Enzo Fernandez’s Chelsea future
Fabrizio Romano has just put his stamp of approval on Pastore’s claims on his YouTube channel saying:
There is no agreement on the numbers of this new contract, and this is why Chelsea and Enzo camp have had some moments of tension. Because of this contract situation. Then, if they can’t agree on a new contract from now to the end of the season, as they haven’t been able to agree on this new contract since December, when they started conversations, well, obviously, in the summer, we have to see what happens.
Fernandez missed out on the Blues’ FA Cup quarter-final tie against Port Vale. They cruised past the League One side last week, and now the 25-year-old will also miss the crucial Premier League match against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge today.
The Blues will have to go through a crucial set of fixtures in order to make the Champions League. After the game against City, they will take on Manchester United. Liverpool await as well, along with the FA Cup semifinal against Leeds United on April 26.
Will Fernandez play against Man Utd?
Further, Rosenior’s recent cryptic comments on Fernandez’s situation haven’t really cleared the air. But the Argentine will be expected to feature against Manchester United, as his two-game ban will be over by then.
Romano’s comments will now just add to the ongoing speculation around the Argentine and despite efforts from both sides to settle things for the good of the football club, it could even get worse if the Blues are unable to come out with a decent result against Manchester City tonight.
