It was another busy transfer window at Chelsea. Then again, what else would anyone expect? 11 senior players have arrived, while 22 have departed, either permanently or on loan. In total, the Blues spent around £340 million, but recouped almost £400 million, thereby recording a healthy profit.
What ensured they were in the black was the deadline day departure of Enzo Fernández. The Argentine World Cup winner had been pushing for a move all summer long and, at the 11th hour, it eventually came. The 25 year old will link up with his namesake Enzo Maresca at Manchester City, having joined the Citizens for a whopping £125 million.
In the history of football, only Neymar and Kylian Mbappé have moved for more, both to PSG, while Fernández is the first player to ever command multiple £100 million+ transfers. Upon making the move, the midfielder had this to say:
"Manchester City are the most successful club in England in recent times. Every player wants to be part of a club like this because everyone knows how well-run City are. I could not be happier to be here... this is a club built for success. If you look across the squad, City have quality in every area. I want to learn from my new teammates and become a better player."Enzo Fernández
The quote "everyone knows how well-run City are" has been taken as a dig at Chelsea. We'll never know if it actually was. What we do know is that the Sky Blues have splashed around £326 million rebuilding their entire midfield this summer, also bringing in Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
This though begs the question, how much of a loss will Fernández be for Chelsea? Well, across all competitions last season, the Argentine racked up 4,379 minutes, the most of any Chelsea player, as well as scoring 15 goals, his best return at the club, second only to João Pedro.
Enzo Fernandez robs a point at the last for Chelsea! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GwFsqCfoii
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 4, 2026
Thus, clearly on talent, Fernández would be included in Chelsea's best XI. However, it is difficult to envisage how and where he would fit into Xabi Alonso's lineup. So far this season, the Blues have won all three matches, with their Premier League victories seeing them overcome Fulham 3-2 and Brighton 4-3. Whether this is a sign of what is to come all season remains to be seen.
Alonso is though set to roll with the 3-4-2-1 formation that saw him lead Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic double in 2023/24. This asks a lot of the midfield duo. So far, Roméo Lavia was partnered by Reece James at Craven Cottage, before Malo Gusto replaced the latter last weekend. In time, once fit, Moisés Caicedo will of course be a starting figure, albeit he is a serious doubt ahead of Sunday's crucial London derby at champions Arsenal.
Stylistically, Alonso is looking for, put simply, a destroyer in Caicedo and a ball playing creator from deep, a role suited to either Lavia or James. Fernández does not fall into either category. Thus, in this system, given the 25 year old's tendency to burst forward, he would surely have had to be moved into the front three.
However, given how strong Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and João Pedro have looked as a trio, Fernández would not be a starting figure there either. Thus, somehow managing to sell a player who, while talented, was somewhat surplus to requirements, for more than the £107 million they paid for him seems like a stroke of genius.
Arriving from Benfica in January 2023, Fernández has always felt like the main character of the early BlueCo-era at Chelsea. Perhaps you could also throw Marc Cucurella into that conversation too. Both though are now gone, signalling the start of a new period at Stamford Bridge, one that supporters will hope is more successful than the last. Thus, selling Enzo symbolically, financially and strategically all makes perfect sense.
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