Not for the first time, Hernan Crespo is smiling broadly and Enzo Fernandez is central to why.
‘He made me happy in December so, so much with [winning] the World Cup,’ Argentinian Crespo said.
‘Now it is a second happiness he has given me in a short time because he joined Chelsea. I’m very happy, very proud for him because he is a very, very good guy.’
Crespo is invested in the progress of Chelsea’s £105m January signing Fernandez, 22, so things could hardly have worked out much better than his countryman joining his former club.
His fondness for Chelsea almost 15 years after he left remains evident in how he refers to them as ‘us’, ‘our Blues’ and ‘the pride of London.’
Former Chelsea star Hernan Crespo has spoken of his delight at the Blues signing Enzo Fernandez in January
Fernandez moved to Stamford Bridge for a staggering £105million on transfer deadline day
His arrival came just over a month after he won the World Cup in Qatar with Argentina
Doha-based Crespo’s face lights up when told this Zoom interview is taking place while Sportsmail are sat in the car park at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.
He also goes back to his Chelsea days when describing what sort of player they have got for their British record fee.
‘He [Fernandez] is [Claude] Makalele plus [Frank] Lampard,’ Crespo begins. ‘If you need him in the Makalele position he can play very well.
‘This guy can also smell the goal, good shot from outside the box so if you need him behind the striker, Lampard or [Michael] Essien, he can do it.
‘As a manager, having a player that can play in lots of positions, it’s really important in football today. He can do everything as a midfielder. He can be one of the best midfielders in history.’
The third reason Crespo has kept such a keen eye on Fernandez’s rise is because he did once manage him.
One of the great strikers of his generation, Crespo joked that in the same way he had the nose for a goal he pounced to sign Fernandez in August 2020.
Crespo cannot speak highly enough of the midfielder, who has burst onto the world stage
‘I smell the opportunity and say to my governors “we need this guy,” he laughed.
Crespo was in charge of Defensa y Justicia and aware of the prospect coming through at his former club River Plate.
Defensa y Justicia needed a midfielder and Crespo could see the first-team football then reserve-teamer Fernandez required was not available at River at the time…