Enzo Fernandez to miss Manchester City fixture as Chelsea sanction midfielder over Madrid remark | OneFootball

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has confirmed that Enzo Fernandez has been sanctioned by the club and will miss Sunday’s Premier League visit from Manchester City.

The Argentina international sparked widespread reaction this week after comments made in an interview appeared to cast doubt on his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Fernandez was not directly asked about Real Madrid in the interview but when questioned on which city he would like to live in, the 25-year-old said: “I’d like to live in Spain. I really like Madrid, it reminds me of Buenos Aires. Players live where they want. I’d live in Madrid. I get by in English but I’d be more comfortable in Spanish.”

The comments drew an immediate response from within Chelsea, with Rosenior moving swiftly to impose a sanction on the club’s vice-captain ahead of a defining week in their season.

Rosenior: Fernandez crossed a line

Speaking in his a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s 7-0 FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale at the weekend, Rosenior was candid in his assessment of the situation.

“As a football club, with me as part of that process, we’ve made a decision,” the Chelsea head coach said. “He won’t be available for tomorrow’s game (against Port Vale) and he won’t be available for Manchester City next Sunday.

“I think for Enzo, it’s disappointing to speak in that way. What I will say about Enzo is in terms of him as a character, as a person, I’ve got no bad words to say about him, but I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction.”

What is the wider context around Fernandez’s future?

Fernandez joined Chelsea from Benfica in January 2023 for £106.8 million – a British transfer record at the time – and the midfielder has since become one of the most influential figures in Rosenior’s squad, captaining the side on several occasions this season.

The FIFA World Cup winner’s comments about Madrid will inevitably fuel speculation over a potential move to the Spanish capital, with Real Madrid long-established admirers of the central midfielder. It is worth noting, however, that Fernandez did not directly reference Real Madrid or express a desire to leave Chelsea in the interview.

Chelsea are understood to have acted quickly to address the situation internally and Rosenior’s public response signals that the west London outfit will not allow any uncertainty over a player’s future to become a distraction as they push for a top-four Premier League finish.

Fernandez’s absence for the visit of Manchester City this Sunday will be a significant blow for Chelsea, who will be without one of their vice-captain for a fixture that could have a considerable bearing on both clubs’ ambitions for the run-in.