Enzo Fernandez sparks major Chelsea concern minutes after UCL exit | Football | Sport
Enzo Fernandez responded with only “we’ll see” when questioned about his future immediately after Chelsea‘s Champions League elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. The Blues were unable to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit at Stamford Bridge as they suffered a 3-0 home defeat to exit Europe. Liam Rosenior is now charged with rallying his squad to mount a challenge for Champions League qualification via the Premier League but faces uncertainty over the future of one of his key performers.
Fernandez arrived for £106.8million as one of the first acquisitions under the BlueCo ownership, but uncertainty now surrounds the club’s trajectory under Rosenior and the Argentine’s future also faces examination. “I don’t know, there are eight games left and the FA Cup. There’s the World Cup and then we’ll see,” Fernandez told ESPN Argentina after the 8-2 aggregate defeat to PSG.
Fernandez donned the captain’s armband in Reece James’ absence against PSG, and the World Cup winner has been fundamental to the Blues’ achievements this season. The 25-year-old has netted 12 goals and contributed six assists in 45 appearances this campaign.
Rosenior, asked about Fernandez’s comments following the reverse at Stamford Bridge, insisted he had not seen his player’s comments. The manager said: “Firstly, I haven’t seen that. It’s hard for me to speak on speculation after a game and I need to focus right now on the most important things, which is making sure we get a result against Everton on Saturday.”
The midfielder displayed his frustration at Filip Jorgensen’s mistake in the first-leg reverse against PSG, but saw his head coach, Rosenior, compare his mentality to Roy Keane. “As a player with passion, he wants to win. Roy Keane did that, probably,” Rosenior said.
“Roy Keane was my manager, but Roy Keane as a player probably did that 20 times a game. I want a team with a culture of accountability where we can demand from each other in the moment.
“Enzo loves Filip, Enzo wants the best for him, Enzo believes in him. In that moment he was frustrated with something that happened, and that’s normal, isn’t it?”
Fernandez contributed to Chelsea‘s Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs last summer, but the Blues are finding it difficult to build upon that achievement this season. They are presently battling once more for Champions League qualification, with the sole trophy they can win this term being the FA Cup, where Chelsea meet Port Vale in the quarter-final.
