Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea’s €124million flop no one is talking about

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 10 Jan 2024 13:28 GMT
• 4 min read

Enzo Fernandez was bought on the premise he could play a lot of roles exceptionally well, but what’s become clear is that the Argentina international is more of a modest jack of all trades and master of absolutely none.

Mauricio Pochettino, whose side were just dumped out of the FA Cup to Championship side Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening, has often emphasised the need for time in his side, that inexperience and expectations needs to be managed.

Though Fernandez is just 22 years old, the fact he is was resolutely better for Benfica, while he is also a World Cup winner. Of course, any other player who arrived for the most fee would not receive the same level of criticism, but when you come for what was then a Premier League record, there has to be a different level of scrutiny.

Fernandez has been played as a deep-lying midfielder alongside Moises Caicedo. His volume of passes into the final third is high, but just that only does not cut it at this level.

I’m just not seeing it with Enzo Fernandez. £100m?!
Newcastle’s 17-year-old Lewis Miley has bossed him twice in the past 6 months, and now he’s been subbed after an hour in a semi-final as Boro’s Hayden Hackney & Dan Barlaser have outplayed him #UTB #NUFC

— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) January 9, 2024

Chelsea need him to contribute more offensively, and get him to have a direct hand in scoring goals and creating chances, rather than the side solely relying on the ability of Cole Palmer - the youngster has got the side out of trouble more times than surely is comfortable this season.

How much is Enzo Fernandez worth?

A mitigating factor in all this is how Caicedo and Fernandez don’t complement each other. They are near enough one of the same, rather than different parts of the machine working in tandem with one another. Perhaps, it could be argued, that an outright enforcer would be better for Fernandez, rather than Caicedo.

In any case, it speaks of poor recruitment and a waste of money. Since joining Chelsea, Fernandez’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has dropped by £28m, while everything has dropped off, statistically speaking. He is shooting, carrying, creating, and defending less per 90 minutes than when he was at Benfica, according to SciSports data.

One of the most striking elements of this is how the Blues displayed unwavering determination in their quest to acquire Fernandez during the preceding winter from the Portuguese side. The club simply refused to budge on their valuation, wanting the entire release clause met. Chelsea were so dogged in their determination that they spent more than that: a huge sum that fell under FFP and then a further amount down the line to pay for the break between payments.

Fernandez, basking in the glory of winning the World Cup just the month before and emerging as a standout midfielder in the tournament, has shown little to prove that such a price tag has been anywhere near close enough. There is time for this youngster, but questions have to be asked at this point.