Why has Enzo Fernandez been dropped by Chelsea? | OneFootball

Blues vice-captain will play no part against Port Vale in FA Cup quarter-final or Manchester City clash next weekend

Chelsea take on surprise package Port Vale in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday evening.

To make matters even worse, they signed off for the international break with a dreadful 3-0 defeat at Everton that left them sitting sixth and six points adrift of the top four with their hopes of returning to the Champions League next season in real jeopardy with only seven games remaining his term.

Chelsea’s worsening situation has certainly not been helped by plenty of off-field drama, the most high-profile of which has surrounded Enzo Fernandez.

The Argentine, who serves as vice-captain to the injured Reece James, has incurred the wrath of both the club and the fans with interviews given during the international break.

Fernandez, who initially appeared to question the decision to part ways with Rosenior’s predecessor Enzo Maresca in January, first cast doubt on his future at Chelsea, responding to ESPN Argentina with the following when asked if he would remain at Stamford Bridge next season: “I don't know.

“Right now I'm focused on here, then there's the World Cup, and we'll see.”

Fernandez similarly said to the same publication, “Right now I'm focused on Chelsea, we'll see after the World Cup,” after confirming there had been no talks with Real Madrid, for whom he is believed to be a key transfer target this summer.

That was followed up by a more recent interview on YouTube, in which Fernandez was asked where he would choose to live if he left London.

“I’d like to live in Spain, I really like Madrid; it reminds me of Buenos Aires,” he said. “Players live where they want. I’d live in Madrid. I get by in English, but I’d be more comfortable in Spanish.”

His comments have led to a punishment by Chelsea, who have made Fernandez unavailable for both the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Port Vale and next weekend’s visit of title-chasing Manchester City in the Premier League.

He will be back in contention for the meeting with Manchester United in west London on April 18.

“We spoke with Enzo an hour ago,” Rosenior said of Fernandez at his pre-Port Vale press conference on Friday. “As a football club, with me as part of that process, we've made a decision.

Liam Rosenior said that Enzo Fernandez had “crossed a line” with his comments

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

“He won't be available for tomorrow's game and he won't be available for Manchester City on 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 and that was a decision we've made.”

Fernandez’s club-imposed ban was blasted as “completely unfair” by agent Javier Pastore in a bombshell interview with The Athletic released just hours after Rosenior’s press conference appearance.

Marc Cucurella will not be subject to a similar sanction by Chelsea and is available to face Port Vale, despite having admitted in a press conference ahead of Spain’s friendly against Egypt that it would be “difficult” to turn down a move to Barcelona as he also disagreed with the decision to part company with Maresca.

Moises Caicedo has become the latest Chelsea player to leave the door open to a potential switch to LaLiga in future when also asked about Real Madrid during a new interview with Diario AS.