It was the final matchday of the Premier League season and Chelsea put in one last poor performance to cap off what has been another nightmare campaign for the Blues. Now, they have failed to qualify for the Champions League in three out of the four seasons under BlueCo ownership. In fact, they won’t be in any European competition next season, after finishing 10th.
That just goes to show how poor things have been over the past four seasons. And it is remarkable, considering almost two billion pounds have been spent on the squad.
It would be an understatement to say the recruitment has been poor. Now, Chelsea might need to let go of players just to fund the arrival of new ones. Also, that might include some big-names like Enzo Fernandez.
Fabrizio Romano posted a picture of the Argentine midfielder after the game with the caption “Enzo Fernández to Chelsea fans” along with a waving emoji. Is that a hint at an exit from the Italian journalist? Let’s not forget the number of rumours that this could have been his final appearance for the Blues.
Enzo Fernandez’s Chelsea future in serious doubt
Chelsea and Fernandez have not been able to come to terms on a new contract so far. But there might be more issues than that.
Fernandez is a World Cup winner. He has spent three-and-a-half years at the club and things now seem to be regressing. As a result, it is understandable why he might be looking to leave Chelsea this summer. From a professional standpoint, it makes perfect sense.
He would want to play in the Champions League and compete for trophies. Chelsea are guaranteed not to do the former and unlikely to do the latter next season.
Manchester City linked with the Argentine World Cup winner with Enzo Maresca set to come in
Of course, any Fernandez exit would depend on suitable offers. Chelsea spent north of £100 million to sign him. While it is unlikely that they would be able to recoup that, the Blues would surely want a figure in that ballpark.
Manchester City are believed to have taken an interest in Fernandez. That might have a direct corelation with the fact that Enzo Maresca looks set to replace Pep Guardiola as the manager of the club.
Maresca and Fernandez worked very successfully together at Chelsea. It was the Italian manager who turned him into the box-crashing midfielder that he is today, with 22 goal contributions to his name.
Of course, letting Fernandez join a direct rival would not be ideal. But it is hard to imagine that any other club would be willing to pay a higher transfer fee. And Chelsea definitely need the money right now.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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