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Chelsea have chosen to leave Enzo Fernández out of their next two matches - so how did we get here, and what comes next?
Liam Rosenior has turned disciplinarian, and his decision to exclude Enzo Fernández from the Chelsea squad for the coming matches against Port Vale and Manchester City represents a surprisingly tough line from coach and club – but could also back Chelsea into a corner, depending on how the Argentine reacts.
Rosenior announced the decision to drop Fernández for two matches during his pre-match press conference on Friday. The Chelsea head coach told the gathered press that the midfielder had “crossed a line” during a recent interview when he was asked about Real Madrid’s reported interest in signing him. But how did we get here, and what happens next?
Why did Chelsea suspend Enzo Fernández?
The decision to leave Fernández out of the next two matches – meaning he will miss both the FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale and the Premier League game away to Manchester City – came after the Argentine appeared to fuel rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid this summer.
Media outlets in Spain have repeatedly connected the 25-year-old with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, and he has been asked about it on several occasions during recent media interviews.
Speaking to ESPN in mid-March, Fernández had already said “I don’t know” and “we’ll see” in response to questions about whether he could leave Stamford Bridge, but has since followed that up with an appearance on a podcast, during which he told the host that “I’d like to live in Madrid - it’s a beautiful city,” adding that he would prefer to live in a Spanish-speaking country.
Rosenior said on Friday that Rosenior’s comments had “crossed a line,” adding that it was “disappointing” that he had responded to speculation about his future at Chelsea.
"I have got no bad words to say about him,” said Rosenior. “But a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build…
“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."
Rosenior added that he had also talked to Marc Cucurella, who had appeared to welcome a move to Barcelona in an interview of his own, although the full-back had also said that he was “happy” at Stamford Bridge and that he could wait “a few years” before moving on. Cucurella has not been punished.
What happens next – and will Fernández leave Chelsea?
While Fernández has not responded publicly to the decision to drop him for two games, his agent, Javier Pastore, has done so. In an interview with The Athletic, he branded Chelsea’s action as “completely unfair” and called into question the timing of the move given the club’s ongoing battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Pastore also claimed that his client was merely naming a city where he would one day like to live, rather than angling for a exit. He also revealed that Fernández will be ready to “explore other options” if a contract renewal agreement is not struck after this summer’s World Cup.
Fernández has been one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers over the past two seasons and has captained the side when Reece James was not available. He also has one of the longest contracts in football, which theoretically ties him to Stamford Bridge until 2032.
Should he leave – whether of his own volition or not – it would create a major headache for Chelsea, with the midfielder pairing of Fernández and Moisés Caicedo arguably the club’s greatest strength. Fernández’s all-action style of play and efficacy up and down the pitch would be exceptionally difficult to replace.
But even if he takes his punishment on the chin and apologises, he has also made it clear that he wishes to leave, and that he would find life in Madrid to be more to his personal taste. If Real do come in with a formal offer, it is hard to imagine that it would not have a significant disruptive effect regardless of how Chelsea respond to it.
As it stands, it’s not certain that Real will make a formal offer. Some sections of the media, such as Madridista newspaper Marca, suggest that he is a priority target as they work to reshape their midfield for next season. Other parts of the Spanish press, such as Sport, suggest that a bid is unlikely simply due to the cost.
Chelsea are unlikely to be willing to do a deal which would see them make a loss on the £107m they spent to sign Fernández from Benfica in 2023. Real could match or go above that kind of figure in theory, but it’s uncertain whether they are prepared to make such a big splash, especially with other rumoured targets – such as Manchester City’s Rodri and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton – would surely be considerably cheaper.
So Chelsea face the possibility of having an unsettled but essential player on their books, a key player who seems to have hinted that he could attempt to force a move and give them a very large problem indeed. From a purely sporting perspective, there is no good argument for selling Fernández, but if he becomes a threat to dressing room harmony, then the landscape could change.
With this public rebuke of Fernández’s behaviour – and the decision to deprive themselves of one of their best players for two extremely important games – Rosenior and Chelsea have marked a line in the sand. What matters now is how Fernández responds. Losing him could be disastrous, but keeping an unhappy player on a team against his will seldom works out well for anybody.
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