Liam Rosenior speaks out after Enzo Fernandez fuels exit talk with brutal Chelsea statement

Robin Bairner

• 21 Mar 2026 05:15 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has not asked to leave the club, manager Liam Rosenior has claimed in the wake of an explosive statement from the Argentina international midfielder.

Enzo’s future has increasingly been a source of transfer speculation in recent weeks, and the 25-year-old World Cup winner has amplified that with comments made to the media on Friday.

He claimed that he has been left “hurt” by Chelsea’s decision to sack Enzo Maresca, accusing the board of mishandling the Italian’s exit.

Rosenior, meanwhile, has been left to pick up the pieces, denying that the former Benfica man wants out, despite links to Real Madrid and PSG.

What did Enzo Fernandez say?

“Sometimes as a player, there's things we don't understand and the way they try to manage things. I don't have an answer for you because I don't know,” he told Argentine TV (via The Mirror) when questioned about Enzo Maresca’s exit.

“Obviously, it was a departure that hurt a lot because we had a lot of identity, he gave us order but it's the way that football is, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.

“But we always had a clear identity when it came to training, playing and obviously his departure hurt us especially in the middle of the season - it cuts everything short.”

Rosenior: Enzo has not asked to leave

Rosenior, who arrived from Strasbourg to replace Maresca, has claimed that Fernandez has not expressed his desire to leave.

“I have a very, very close relationship with Enzo,” he said in comments relayed by the Daily Mail. “There's not one player at this club since I've been here that has said he doesn't want to be here in the summer.”

The midfielder’s comments, though, do little to support Rosenior’s authority over the squad in a week that has seen his credibility questioned after Chelsea were beaten 3-0 in the Champions League by PSG.

Romano drops transfer hint: Something is happening behind the scenes

Fabrizio Romano has suggested Enzo Fernandez could leave the West London side this summer.

On his YouTube channel, he explained: “When a player answers in this way, there is usually no smoke without fire, so something is happening behind the scenes, and my understanding is that there have been conversations for some months between Enzo Fernandez and Chelsea to find a solution on improved contract terms and adjust his deal, but at the moment, in mid-March, there is still no agreement on a new contract.

“If the situation continues like this, I am sure both sides will still try to find a solution, but if they cannot, after the answer we heard last night Enzo Fernandez could be open to exploring options in the summer transfer window, so there is a real possibility he would welcome a move in the summer if there is no agreement on a new deal before then, because everything starts from those contract talks.”

Rosenior may claim he knows nothing about Enzo Fernandez's unhappiness, but it is an increasingly big issue that threatens to dominate Chelsea's summer transfer window.

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