2022 FIFA World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez has stated that he is staying at Chelsea for the sake of his dream amidst exit rumours.
The 22-year-old became the first big signing of the Todd Boehly era when Benfica received £106.5 million in January 2023 to part ways with the player they had only signed six months earlier.
The former River Plate starlet was coming off the back of impressive performances at the World Cup in Qatar last December, which saw him bag the Young Player of the Tournament award.
A number of clubs approached Benfica for his signature but it was Chelsea’s £106.5 million fee that did it for the Portuguese giants. Fernandez became the Premier League’s most expensive signing at that time and many expected him to live up to his price tag.
He has done that since January but unfortunately, the results have not been forthcoming.
Chelsea have also been involved in a flurry of transfer activity after Enzo including signing a number of competitors for the Argentine international’s role in the squad. They have also topped his signing with their £115 million acquisition of Fernandez’s fellow South American, Ecuador international Moises Caicedo.
Alongside Caicedo and Enzo, the Blues have added 30 players (including homegrown talent like Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill) with only Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell and Reece James survivors from the Roman Abramovich era.
This goes to show the effort that the club has put into building a team that can win. The results, however, are slow to arrive and may believe that Fernandez may not have the patience to remain with Chelsea in this period of rebuild.
Having won the FIFA World Cup, there is pressure on him to follow in the footsteps of international teammate Julian Alvarez, who he beat to the Young Player of the Tournament award in Qatar.
Alvarez, also formerly of River Plate, has gone on to win every achievable trophy at Manchester City in under a year and has “completed football”, in the words of some pundits and fans, at the age of 23. Many believe that Fernandez, who is as talented as Alvarez, should be in the same boat and believe that he could leave Chelsea to achieve these goals.
Asked if he is considering exiting Stamford Bridge, the midfielder, who is currently on international duty with Argentina, said: “We know what the World Cup generates. It opens the doors to many places, as happened to me, who was at Benfica and my move to Chelsea was very great.
“I always said that playing in the Premier was my dream. I am very grateful to Chelsea for the opportunity.”
Fernandez is contractually tied to Chelsea for the next eight-and-a-half years.
