What is Enzo Fernandez? A defensive midfielder? Box-to-box? Maybe he can’t be put in your tiny little boxes. Unnerving, isn’t it?
Chelsea have reportedly offered Benfica over €127m for Enzo Fernandez in a 900% mark-up on the man the Portuguese side signed from River Plate just six months ago. It would be an extraordinary deal for a player who’s had an extraordinary time of it recently.
Having made his senior international debut at the end of September, Fernandez scored his first international goal in the World Cup Group C win over Mexico, claimed his first international assist in his first international start against Poland four days later, and then played every minute of the knockout rounds as Argentina earned their third gold star.
As the 21-year-old engine of that World Cup-winning midfield, and a player currently contracted to one of the great selling clubs in Benfica, the transfer vultures didn’t take long to circle. Liverpool ‘fell in love’ with Fernandez, having already liked him before the tournament. Manchester United are also thought to be keen. But Chelsea look set to blow them both out of the water, according to reports which claim Todd Boehly is ready to go above and beyond the €120m release clause to land Fernandez in January.
Fernandez could yet stay at Benfica until the end of the season, with one Portuguese report claiming the midfielder optimistically believes Benfica can win the Champions League this term. He’s in no rush, but Chelsea are.
Denis Zakaria arrived on loan from Juventus at the end of the summer window to tide them over, but with Jorginho and N’Golo Kante both seemingly on their way out when their contracts expire at the end of the season, Chelsea are in desperate need of a new central midfielder. And with Boehly and Graham Potter’s plan to cut the average age of the squad and starting XI in mind, Fernandez would be the perfect addition. Competition for his signature will surely only increase in the summer, when clubs have ducks in rows.
Only Achraf Hakimi (26) and Mateo Kovacic (24) – who could start alongside Fernandez in quite the dogged Chelsea midfield – made more tackles in Qatar than Fernandez (22), who was fifth for completed passes into the 18-yard box, and illustrated his ability to score goals from midfield (something Chelsea have sorely lacked) with his sublime stepover and curled finish against Mexico.
It feels as though Fernandez would be a good fit for modern Premier League…
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