This has been a trying season for Chelsea throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
Sitting sixth in the Premier League table, six points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with just seven games to go, the Blues are also out of the Champions League in the Round of 16 and fighting for their lives just to qualify for the competition next season.
The Blues also sacked manager Enzo Maresca in early January, bringing Liam Rosenior over from BlueCo sister club Strasbourg to fill his shoes, a move which has been openly questioned by both current and former Chelsea players.
Several of those on the Chelsea roster have vented their frustrations about the struggles they faced this season, but one has "crossed a line" according to the new manager. The Sporting News explains why Enzo Fernandez has been axed from the squad for upcoming games and where they stand now.
MORE: A closer look at the Chelsea injury list for their upcoming matches
Why was Enzo Fernandez dropped by Chelsea?
Enzo Fernandez has been benched by Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior, who said that the Argentine would not be in the Chelsea squad for the club's first two matches back from the March international break.
This means that Fernandez will miss games against Port Vale in the FA Cup and Manchester City in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old midfielder made comments over the international break to Argentine media about his future next season and beyond, saying he wasn't sure he would be at Chelsea next season and speculating about links to Real Madrid.
What did Enzo Fernandez say about Real Madrid move?
While speaking to Argentine media over the March international break, Enzo Fernandez appeared open to a move to Real Madrid this summer.
Fernandez has a contract with Chelsea that runs through 2032, leaving him firmly under club control for the foreseeable future, yet he spoke openly about his immediate future potentially being at another club.
When asked if he would be at Chelsea next season, he said to ESPN Argentina, "I don’t know – there are eight games left and the FA Cup. There’s the World Cup and then we’ll see." He followed that up by saying there has been no specific contact with Real Madrid.
After that, while discussing his future on a podcast with Argentine personality Marcos Giles of Luzu TV, when asked if he would consider living in the Spanish capital — a pointed question given recent speculation about interest from Real Madrid — he said, "Yes, of course...I really like Madrid - it's similar to Buenos Aires."
Liam Rosenior responds to Enzo Fernandez comments
The Chelsea manager has not taken kindly to Enzo Fernandez's comments, and has decided to act accordingly.
"I spoke with Enzo about an hour ago," Liam Rosenior said on Friday in his pre-match press conference ahead of the FA Cup quarterfinal against Port Vale. "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."
Rosenior says that while he still backs Fernandez's character, he had to act on comments he believed were detrimental to the club as a whole.
"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.
"Enzo, firstly, as a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect," Rosenior continued. "He's frustrated because he wants us to be successful. In terms of the decision, it's not all about me, or the sporting directors, the ownership, the players, we are aligned in our decision.
"The door is not closed on Enzo. It's a sanction. You have to protect the culture, and in terms of that, a line was crossed."
Why wasn't Marc Cucurella suspended for critical comments?
The decision to suspend Enzo Fernandez came in stark juxtaposition to the club's decision not to punish full-back Marc Cucurella for similarly disparaging comments during the international break.
While on international duty with Spain, Cucurella criticised recent Chelsea transfer business. After being asked about the club's heavy aggregate defeat to PSG in the Champions League Round of 16, Cucurella vented his frustration about the Chelsea squad being laden with players whom lack experience on the European level.
"I understand this is part of the club's policy, and that they want to take this direction - signing young players and looking to the future," Cucurella told The Athletic, "but, for all of us who are still here and want to win big things, moments like this make you feel discouraged.
"We have a good core of players. The foundations are there. But to fight for major trophies such as the Premier League or the Champions League, you need more. Signing young players only might complicate achieving those goals. Against PSG, we lacked players that had gone through situations like that."
Cucurella's frustrations did not stop at just the club's transfer policy. He also questioned the decision to sack Enzo Maresca and bring on Liam Rosenior, another move which swapped experience for youthful promise.
"We knew what Maresca wanted from us," Cucurella said. "Winning a title like the Club World Cup also helps, strengthens the bond, and you create great relationships during the celebrations. When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you’d die for him.
"The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season.
"The instability around the club comes from this, in a nutshell. We had a caretaker (former under-21s coach Calum McFarlane) first, then a new manager, with new ideas and no time to work on them. It is what it is."
Yet despite this open criticism, Chelsea decided not to punish Cucurella, although Rosenior still vented his frustration with the Spaniard, mostly around his public handling of the situation.
"I’ve told players if they’ve got any issue with how we do things to come and speak to me and speak to the sporting directors," Rosenior said in his press conference.
"My disappointment in Marc’s interview is where it went to. I think he should have spoken to us first about the things that he’s feeling. I want players to feel that they can speak openly and honestly for the benefit of the football club."