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Chelsea vice-captain Enzo Fernandez is said to have angered team-mates at the club with his recent antics on and off the pitch during their four-game losing streak
Enzo Fernandez looking on during a Chelsea match while wearing the captain's armband
Enzo Fernandez is under the spotlight at Chelsea(Image: PA)
Everything you need to know about the latest reports regarding Enzo Fernandez...
Enzo Fernandez is reportedly causing friction within the Chelsea squad due to his vocal behaviour in the dressing room. The club's vice captain has repeatedly let his temper get the better of him following a string of recent defeats, including their painful Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain.
Several Chelsea stars have grown annoyed with Fernandez's berating of teammates on the pitch, according to The Telegraph. They are said to be unimpressed by his leadership during this difficult period.
Their unhappiness is with his antics on and off the pitch. A notable incident involved him hurling the match ball and shouting at goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen after a costly mistake against PSG.
Adding to the dressing room tension, the Argentine has publicly raised doubts about his long-term future at Stamford Bridge. He recently hinted at a potential move to Real Madrid, refusing to guarantee that he would stay with the Blues past the current season.
The former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel has launched a scathing public attack on Fernandez regarding these transfer hints. He strongly condemned the current midfielder on The Obi One Podcast , insisting that the London side are not a mere stepping stone.
Mikel stressed that any player whose heart is already in Madrid has no right to wear the shirt. He reminded Fernandez that Chelsea players fight for the club's badge, not a future transfer.
Mikel's scathing attack on Fernandez in full:
"That's not a leader. That's something where if you have leaders, if you have leaders that players respect and look up to, you wouldn't come out and make those statements because you'd be thinking, 'How is this going to go down in the dressing room? How is this going to go down with the top players, the big players, when they see this?'
"You were the captain in that game and you come out and make those statements… how would that go down well with the senior players in the dressing room?
"He's looked at it and he's thinking, 'Who the f*** is going to hold me responsible in that dressing room?' No one! The leadership is not there.
"So he thinks, 'I can come out, say whatever the f*** I want, no one is going to hold me responsible', and that's exactly what happened.
"For him to come out and make such a statement after we've been disgracefully dumped out of the Champions League, and you come out after wearing the captain's armband… no player is bigger than the football club.
"If he's had enough, put your hands up, f*** off and we move on. We move on. No player player is bigger than the football club, especially a club as huge as Chelsea.
"You cannot come out and say that, it doesn't matter what is going on. It doesn't matter what is happening, you're being paid handsomely to be at this football club, you should be grateful that you're playing for a club like Chelsea.
"When you come out and make that statement, that is very, very disrespectful to the football club and to the fans."