Liam Rosenior, the head coach of Chelsea, has said that Enzo Fernandez will not play in the next two games for the Blues. This is because the midfielder courted Real Madrid when asked about his future during the international break. The 25-year-old Argentine won’t be able to play in the FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale on Saturday or the Premier League game against Manchester City on Sunday.
Fernandez joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for a then British record fee of £107 million. The following year, he was named the club’s vice-captain. But his recent comments have gotten him in trouble with the people in charge at Stamford Bridge.
After Chelsea lost badly to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, the midfielder told ESPN Argentina that he didn’t know if he would still be with the team next season. He then made things worse by saying on LuzuTV that Madrid reminded him of Buenos Aires, which made the situation even worse.
Rosenior didn’t hold back at his press conference before the game on Friday:
“I spoke with Enzo an hour ago. As a football club, with me as part of the decision, he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game or Manchester City next Sunday. It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way. I’ve got no bad words to say about him but a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build.”
Rosenior made it clear that this does not mean the end of Fernandez’s time at Stamford Bridge, despite the punishment. He said that the decision was made by the sporting directors and the ownership together. Reports say the Blues would only consider an offer of more than £100 million for the Argentine, and that the team are already planning to sign a new midfielder this summer.
Rosenior also talked about the bigger picture, admitting that Chelsea’s recent bad run has had an emotional impact:
“The players were so motivated and had so much belief that we could do something really special in the Champions League this year. The comments from Enzo, and Cucu’s interview as well, stems from that. It actually stems from a good place where they want the club to succeed.”
Chelsea are currently sixth in the Premier League with 48 points from 31 games. This latest event makes things even more difficult for a season that has not gone smoothly at Stamford Bridge.
Rosenior Names Several Leaders For The Port Vale Game
Rosenior has to choose who will wear the armband against Port Vale on Saturday because Fernandez is out, and club captain Reece James is also out. The Chelsea manager says that there are plenty of people on the team who could lead and that he will make his choice closer to the start of the game.
When asked who would take over as captain, Rosenior said this:
“We’ve got many leaders. Moises Caicedo is in our leadership group. Tosin, too. We’ve got Cole Palmer, we’ve got Joao Pedro. We’ve got Marc Cucurella. We’ve got leaders in the group. So I’ll make that decision later on today when I name the team and you’ll see who’s captain tomorrow.”
Marc Cucurella is still available to play, even though he made some controversial comments during the international break, criticising the club’s hiring policy and raising questions about how Enzo Maresca’s departure was handled. Rosenior said he had a useful half-hour talk with the Spaniard and that Cucurella would face no punishment. Cucurella, who could be the captain of the team, may not be given that much responsibility so soon after his public comments.