Chelsea pick €60m Enzo Fernandez replacement – but is he up to it?

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez for €145 million (£120m) to Manchester City in the closing seconds of Deadline Day in a deal that has equalled the Premier League transfer record.

The Blues had not wanted the transfer saga to do down to the wire, yet with Enzo unhappy at the club, they were ultimately forced to sell the 2022 World Cup winner to one of their biggest rivals.

The Londoners’ thinking in this regard was sound. When transfers are cut fine, it opens up the prospect of a related move collapsing. And that’s exactly what happened.

Current ETV

Enzo Fernández

M, DM (C)

Man City

Enzo Fernández

M, DM (C)

Man City

€83.3M

ETV Range

€75M - €91.7M

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Monaco’s Lamine Camara had been earmarked as Fernandez’s heir at Chelsea, yet a complicated series of circumstances saw his switch from the Ligue 1 side collapse at the eleventh hour.

Manchester United’s decision not to loan Everton Joshua Zirkzee was the catalyst, starting a chain reaction that saw the Toffees reignite a move for Monaco’s Folarin Balogun and the Stade Louis II club unexpectedly pull the plug on the Camara switch, which had appeared done and dusted.

Chelsea’s worst fears have, therefore, come to fruition. They have no Enzo Fernandez and were unable to sign a replacement for him.

Romeo Lavia is Enzo’s replacement

Xabi Alonso has therefore been forced to dig into the depths of his squad for the Argentine’s immediate replacement, with Romeo Lavia set to be given the role at least until the mid-season transfer window opens in January, according to TeamTalk.

The 22-year-old midfielder was signed from Southampton in a €62m deal in 2023 but finished last season as the club’s fourth-choice central midfielder behind Enzo, Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos.

In the three years since Lavia signed for the Blues, he has managed only 46 appearances, including 31 in the Premier League.

This is his chance to finally make his mark, but can he be an effective replacement for Enzo?

Why Chelsea may need to be patient

Injuries have played their part in Lavia’s development stalling, but according to data analytics experts SciSports, the 22-year-old has the potential to reach the heights that Fernandez has achieved so far in his career.

The firm details that there is a difference between the current levels of the players, but this could be eradicated in a couple of years should Lavia’s development progress as anticipated.

Perhaps the biggest question is: can Chelsea afford to wait for him to hit this level?

There is a sizeable drop between Moises Caicedo and Valentin Barco, who is rated as the Blues’ second-strongest option in terms of defensive midfield options. Can Xabi Alonso, whose most successful system at Bayer Leverkusen would not necessarily have suited Fernandez, find a way to paper over this crack?

And then there’s the concern that the physical issues that have plagued his career will strike again.

The world of elite football is a cut-throat world, and while Lavia has Enzo-like potential, he will likely have to reach it quicker than forecast if he is to retain his role in the Chelsea team in the long term.