Enzo Fernandez's agent slams Chelsea in bombshell interview as transfer plan confirmed | OneFootball

Javier Pastore has confirmed that new contract talks began but were then shelved

Chelsea have responded by dropping Fernandez for this weekend's FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale and next week's huge Premier League clash against Manchester City at the Etihad.

"Enzo didn’t understand the situation," Pastore told The Athletic. "When the coach told him, he accepted it because he’s a highly professional guy who’s always fully committed wherever he is and respects decisions.

We don’t understand the punishment because he doesn’t mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea

Javier Pastore

"But we don’t understand the punishment because he doesn’t mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea, far from it; he only mentions Madrid, the city, because he was asked which European city he’d like to live in one day, and he said Madrid because of the language … at no point does he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London.

"He’s not disrespecting anyone … The punishment is completely unfair – banning the player for two matches, which moreover are also absolutely crucial for Chelsea because qualification for the Champions League is at stake and he is one of the team’s most important players.

"I think it’s far too harsh given Chelsea’s current situation, and there’s no real reason or justification for why he’s been banned … I understand the club’s situation, but I don’t understand the sanction.

Pastore also confirmed that talks over an extension to Fernandez's Chelsea contract have been put on hold after initial discussions, though he insisted his client "deserves" a significant pay rise.

Fernandez remains open to extending his contract, which runs until 2032, but will explore his options should an agreement not be reached after the World Cup.

We haven’t reached an agreement [on a new deal] and it may be that this annoyed the club

Javier Pastore

Pastore continued: "There have been talks about renewing his contract, yes. We started discussing it around December or January, but we couldn’t reach an agreement.

"As Enzo’s contract still has six years to run, we decided not to renew it because the terms weren’t right for us or for the player; given what Enzo is capable of today, he deserves much more than he’s currently earning.

"We haven’t reached an agreement and it may be that this annoyed the club."

"We felt that rather than renewing on terms that wouldn’t make the player happy, it was better to leave things as they are and focus on playing and performing well, as they have important objectives until May: qualifying for the Champions League," Pastore continued.

"We decided to put that out of our minds and focus 100 per cent on the crucial fixtures against Chelsea and also the World Cup with Argentina, which will demand a great amount of concentration. We don’t want to get into discussions about figures, contracts and negotiations when the timing wasn’t right.

“Our plan after the World Cup is to meet with Chelsea again and, if there is no agreement, to explore other options."

Enzo wants to apologise if any fan has felt offended

Javier Pastore

Pastore insists that Fernandez is "happy at Chelsea", but suggested that his client is not currently being respected.

"There are other factors that influence decisions, whether it’s salary, respect, or the way things are handled… There are so many things that we aren’t seeing at the moment – or at least I, as an agent, am not seeing – that suggest the club is not handling things in the best possible way with him.

"This two-match ban, which makes no sense from my perspective, suggests that the club is trying to make a point or send a message; I suppose we’ll understand the reasons better in time. But to do this to the vice-captain – or captain when [Reece] James isn’t there – to sanction him for two matches for something I see no reason or explanation for, is undoubtedly a sign of certain moves the club will surely let us know about as soon as possible."

Fernandez does not expect any of his team-mates to react negatively to his recent remarks, but has through his agent apologised to the club's fans.

Pastore concluded: "Enzo wants to apologise if any fan has felt offended, but also stressing that he has never spoken of another club or that he wants to leave Chelsea or London, as this was an interpretation that the media made as a result of his words."