Javier Pastore, Enzo Fernández’s agent, has spoken to The Athletic for the first time about his client’s disciplinary suspension. Chelsea decided to drop Fernández from the squad after he was alleged to have ‘flirted’ with Real Madrid.
“I always tell my wife that I really like Madrid when she asks me to choose a city in Europe to live in. It’s very similar to Buenos Aires – the lifestyle, everything…”, said Fernández in an interview with television channel Luzu. Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior confirmed on Friday that the Argentine will miss the next two matches.
Fernández received that announcement with great indignation. “Enzo didn’t understand the situation,” said Pastore. “The punishment is completely unfair. I think it’s far too harsh given Chelsea’s current situation, and there is absolutely no reason or justification for the suspension,” he fumed.
“When the coach told him, he accepted it, because he is a very professional man who always gives his all, wherever he is, and respects decisions. But we don’t understand the punishment, because he doesn’t mention any club and doesn’t say he wants to leave Chelsea either – quite the opposite.”
Pastore also reveals that Chelsea have adopted a very different attitude since the incident. “I received a message from the club on Thursday saying they wanted to talk to me about the comments. When they sent me the message, I replied, but they didn’t respond. It seems they had already decided to suspend him immediately upon his arrival at the club.”
For the time being, it seems that a contract extension for Fernández is no longer on the cards either. “We did indeed have talks earlier, but the terms weren’t right yet. They weren’t realistic, so it couldn’t go ahead. For now, we’ve decided to shelve the matter entirely,” said Pastore.
“There are many factors influencing our decision, such as salary, respect or the way things are handled… There are many indications that the club is not acting in the best possible way. This two-match suspension, which from my perspective makes no sense whatsoever, merely suggests that the club wants to make a statement or send a message.”