Enzo Fernandez looks likely to leave Chelsea this summer. Now, I won’t read too much into his body language after the last game of the campaign. But one cannot deny all the speculation surrounding him at the moment. Most importantly, nobody has come out to rule it out. So, that suggests there is a lot of reality to the matter.
Fernandez has spent more than three years at Chelsea. And there has been no real progress since then. It is unsurprising if he does indeed want to leave this summer, especially as a new contract has not been agreed.
Of course, losing Fernandez would not be ideal for Chelsea. He has provided 22 goal contributions this season, 15 goals and seven assists. Very few midfielders on the planet have that kind of output, especially when playing in an underperforming team.
So, Chelsea would need to revamp their midfield department if Fernandez leaves. But they might have two very different options. Reports broke out yesterday suggesting that the club had discussed both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in a recent meeting with Newcastle United.
New update on Chelsea links to Tonali and Guimaraes
It remains to be seen if that report proves to be on the mark or not. But according to Kieran Gill, Chelsea sources also playing down the links to Tonali and Guimaraes.
Tonali is the midfield maestro for Newcastle United. He is the classic Italian midfielder who is brilliant with the ball at his feet and has a fantastic passing range.
On the other hand, his reading of the game also allows him to recover the ball in the middle of the park without getting into too many tackles. Perhaps that is the role Fernandez was originally brought in to play.
Guimaraes is more of the midfielder that Fernandez has ended up becoming at Chelsea. He can score goals and provide assists, and has 14 goal contributions in the Premier League to his name this season.
There is more to his game as well. He is an excellent passer himself. Defensively, he is better than Tonali, capable of playing as a number 6, although not a traditional defensive midfielder by any means.
Weaknesses of both Tonali and Guimaraes
We have talked about the strengths of both Newcastle United midfielders already. But they have their weaknesses as well.
Tonali is not someone who provides much in terms of goals and assists. He did not score in the Premier League this season and only set up a couple. So, if you bring him in to replace Fernandez, you will be losing a lot of output.
Of course, there is no such problem with Guimaraes. He might be the most complete midfielder in the league right now. That being said, would he change the dynamic in the Chelsea midfield, if that is what Xabi Alonso wants?
Probably not. In fact, it would be a very similar profile to Fernandez, and will probably take a similar transfer fee as well. So, it would be a sideways move at best.