It’s a story that has rocked Chelsea in recent weeks and it concerns Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine international, vice-captain of the Blues, gave interview after interview to the Argentine media. And each time, the same message gets across. “I would like to live in Spain. I really like Madrid, it reminds me of Buenos Aires. I would live in Madrid. A player can live wherever he wants. I get by in English, but it would be better in Spanish”he declared on the Avirales YouTube channel. A few days later, in another interview on Luzo TV, he did it again by paying tribute to the Madrid legends. “My idols? I particularly admire Toni Kroos… I played against Real Madrid at the BernabĂ©u, and both he and Modrić are fantastic players. » For a player under contract until 2032 with Chelsea, and recruited for 121 million euros in January 2023, the message was difficult to interpret other than as an assumed call to Real Madrid.
And obviously, the management of Chelsea did not appreciate it. This Friday, at a press conference, Liam Rosenior announced that his player was sidelined for the next two matches (against Port Vale in the FA Cup and against Manchester City in the Premier League). “I spoke with Enzo about an hour ago. He will not be available for tomorrow’s match or for the match against Manchester City next Sunday. It’s disappointing that Enzo would express himself like this. I don’t have anything negative to say about it, but a line has been crossed, a line that concerns our culture and what we want to build. (…) It’s a collective decision,” Rosenior said at a press conference before adding that the door was not closed.
Moses Caicedo does not close the door to Real Madrid
Obviously, this statement did not fail to provoke a reaction from the player’s clan and it was the former Parisian Javier Pastore, now an agent, who broke the silence. “The sanction is completely unfair: excluding the player for two absolutely crucial matches for Chelsea when he is one of the most important players in the team. There is no valid reason or justification. Enzo never mentioned any club or said he wanted to leave”he told The Athletic. And while the Fernandez case is not yet closed, A.S. put a piece back in the machine by revealing an interview with Moises Caicedo carried out during the break, while the Ecuador international was in Madrid for his selection gathering.
The 24-year-old midfielder also opened the door to a transfer to Real Madrid. “Real Madrid? You never know in football, right? I have a contract with Chelsea at the moment. Frankly, I didn’t really think about another club, about leaving London, but hey, in the end, you never know in football. All I want is to have fun. I have a contract and I want to continue playing as long as God allows me. Afterwards, we’ll see. I have a contract, but we’ll see what the future holds. Who knows what surprises await us? A statement which should cause a lot of ink to flow in England and which comes at the worst time. Although this was obviously not planned, because the interview was carried out before the sanction, this should still cause a reaction across the Channel.
