Joao Felix predicted Enzo Fernandez’s instant Chelsea impact

Robin Bairner

• 11 Feb 2023 16:47 GMT
• 2 min read

Chelsea star Joao Felix scored his first goal for his new club in a 1-1 draw against West Ham on Saturday, but it was once again Enzo Fernandez who caught the eye for the Blues.

Both players were making just their second appearances for the club. Felix had shown promise before being sent off in an away match against Fulham, which cost him a three-game ban, while Enzo had looked bright on his bow against the same opponents three weeks later in a scoreless draw.

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Given the first opportunity to play together, though, the pair dovetailed beautifully and combined for the opening goal against the Hammers.

Enzo found a pocket of space on the edge of the box and lifted a delicate cross into the box that dopped over the heads of the home defenders but perfectly onto the boot of the on-loan Atletico Madrid star. Felix did the rest with a composed first-time finish.

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Chelsea might only have been able to take a point from the match, but it was a promising start for the couple’s combination – and it was one that was predicted by Felix prior to the match, with the Portugal international bigging up the World Cup winner.

“He's a smart guy and he made a good start to the group. He's a very good player. Was it strange that they paid €121m for him? He deserves the money they paid him because he's young and very good. He'll be one of the best central midfielders in Europe,” Felix said of his new colleague.

Enzo’s early form for Chelsea has suggested that he can live up to his mammoth transfer fee, yet Graham Potter’s side are still ailing in the middle of the Premier League table, with Champions League football looking increasingly unlikely, despite record spends in both the summer and January windows.