Enzo Fernandez Offers Parting Chelsea Dig After Forcing £125m Man City Transfer | OneFootball

Enzo Fernandez was among several players to leave Chelsea this week.

Enzo Fernandez might have taken a dig at Chelsea in his first words after joining Manchester City.

Fernandez completed his switch to Manchester City on a deal worth £125 million on Tuesday’s summer transfer window deadline day.

It brought a much-awaited conclusion to the transfer saga, which had divided the fan base, as shown by the boos and chants that accompanied his every touch on the pitch in his last few games for Chelsea.

The Argentina international wrote a farewell message to the club and the fans on social media on Wednesday. In it, he described leaving Chelsea as “one of those difficult decisions” in life.

However, he changed his tune when speaking in his first interview as a Manchester City player.

“To be honest, from the first day they believed in me and called me to say they wanted me to join the club, I didn’t hesitate for a second,” the former Benfica player told Manchester City’s in-house media.

“It’s a club that has won a lot in recent years. It’s a club that is making history in football and, for me, it’s a huge challenge.

“To be able to come here, help the club and keep winning things together, that has been my goal since they called me: to come to this club knowing we are going to win many trophies together.”

The 25-year-old’s desire to leave Chelsea was first confirmed by his agent, Javier Pastore, who revealed in early July that their camp had been looking at options to depart from Stamford Bridge.

However, Fernandez was linked with a potential move away from Chelsea even earlier.

Fernandez considered leaving Chelsea for quite some time

Chelsea suspended Fernandez for two games back in April after he publicly criticised the club’s decision to part ways with then head coach Enzo Maresca. He also said that he would love to live in Madrid, which sparked rumours of a possible switch to Real Madrid in an interview with Argentine streaming channel Luzu TV.

Liam Rosenior said at the time that the decision to punish the midfielder was made because he “crossed a line”.

It is now clear that Maresca abandoned Chelsea, either directly or indirectly, by negotiating with Manchester City about the possibility of succeeding Pep Guardiola. Real Madrid also had to issue a statement in July confirming that they had no desire to pursue a move for Fernandez.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso hinted at his plan to reintegrate Fernandez into the squad by using him as a substitute in the season-opening win over Fulham.

However, it did not last long. Fernandez was later left out of the squad for the next two games against Luton Town and Brighton.

Alonso confirmed he and the club made the decision, as he wanted to select players with a “desire to play” for the team.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, while arguably the right decision, letting Fernandez leave on deadline day did not come without consequences.

Fernandez’s late exit left Chelsea with only hours to sort out a potential replacement. Despite being very close to landing Lamine Camara, the proposed move fell through after AS Monaco made a U-turn at the last minute.

Chelsea also greenlit Dario Essugo’s loan move to sister club RC Strasbourg, which has left the club with only four natural central midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Valentin Barco, and Jordan Henderson.

Right-back pair Reece James and Malo Gusto will also provide cover in midfield, but some argue Chelsea remain quite thin in this area.