It may be time that Enzo Fernandez starts to get more recognition for what he’s doing at Chelsea.
Unlike Chelsea stars such as Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez doesn’t always receive universal praise. The 24-year-old midfielder is consistently one of the top performers at Stamford Bridge, though.
Jamie Redknapp admits Fernandez has won him over with his eye-catching displays, but we think there are others that need to come around to the realisation of how influential the Blues star can be.
When he’s fit and firing, the Argentina international offers so much on the football pitch, especially when he’s controlling possession. He’s also added the ability to time his box-to-box runs as a genuine goal threat.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez scores a penalty against Ajax in the Champions League.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Proof that Enzo Fernandez is underrated
Remarkably, Fernandez is the only player at Chelsea to have 20 direct goal contributions in 2025, scoring 10 goals and providing 10 assists.
Enzo Fernández is the only Chelsea player to be directly involved in 20 goals across all competitions in 2025:
◉ 10 goals
◉ 10 assists
He's been directly involved in 14 goals in his last 21 games at Stamford Bridge (6 goals, 8 assists). ⚽️🅰️ pic.twitter.com/QaO1iZENJR
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 22, 2025
View Tweet
As you can see above, the Chelsea central midfielder is fundamental to Enzo Maresca’s team. We would argue that the South American talent doesn’t get enough credit for his attacking output.
He’s been the individual to massively step up during a more challenging 2025 for Cole Palmer, who’s had injury and form problems to deal with.
There were eyebrows raised when the Blues splashed out £106.8m (Sky Sports) to sign Fernandez from Benfica in January 2025. Now that he’s become the complete package with a bigger attacking threat, less people are mentioning the price tag.
Even though Real Madrid have been linked, Chelsea are confident of keeping Fernandez because he’s on a long-term contract that expires in 2032.
Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Ajax in the Champions League.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Enzo Fernandez showed true class vs Ajax
If Chelsea supporters wanted any extra reasons to love Fernandez, he gave them it in Wednesday night’s Champions League victory against Ajax.
The midfield star, who captained the side because of Reece James’ absence, scored a clinical spot-kick during the 5-1 victory. However, the moment of the night was his decision to hand responsibility to young teammate Estevao Willian when Chelsea were awarded a second penalty. Thankfully, the Brazilian talent fired his penalty kick into the top corner.
Eidur Gudjohnsen hailed Fernandez’s unselfish act to allow fan favourite Estevao to take the penalty.
In all aspects, Fernandez is proving his worth to this Chelsea side as a leader and key offensive threat.