Enzo Fernandez agent slams Chelsea over ‘unfair ban’ and is ready to ‘explore options’ | OneFootball

The agent of Enzo Fernandez has taken shots at Chelsea after the midfielder was banned for two games following interviews made during the recent international break.

The 25-year-old Argentina international, who has arguably been Chelsea’s top performer this season, has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late.

Most recently, Fernandez has not hidden his displeasure with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy in a recent outburst, in which he hit out at BlueCo, head coach Rosenior and hinted at a possible move to Real Madrid.

Those comments have led to a subsequent two-match ban that was announced by Rosenior ahead of the FA cup quarter-final clash with Port Vale on Saturday, a decision that was backed by the club’s owners BlueCo.

But now, agent Javier Pastore, a former PSG midfielder, has lamented the punishment for Fernandez’s actions, telling The Athletic: “Enzo didn’t understand the situation.

“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, 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, because it’s similar to Buenos Aires and because it’s logical — it’s only natural for an Argentine to say that — and also because of the culture, the weather.

“But at no point does he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London.”

In a series of questions put to Pastore, the agent also admitted that if a new contract cannot be agreed after the World Cup then his client will have to consider his options this summer.

Fernandez is currently under contract until 2032, after signing an eight-and-a-half-year deal back in January 2023, while also triggering an extension for an extra 12 months.

However, talks over improved terms have not moved forward, with Pastore adding: “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, given that he is a hugely important player, but these are things that have to be managed.

“I look at the sporting and financial aspects of the player’s situation, and I didn’t see that renewal coming to fruition because they weren’t very realistic about Enzo’s current situation.”

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