Enzo Fernandez is great, but Chelsea need GOALS

James Shearman

• Updated: 7 Jan 2023 13:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have been trying to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica this month after an epic World Cup campaign with Argentina.

Fernandez won the Best Young Player award at the tournament in Qatar, as he helped Lionel Messi fulfill his lifelong dream of winning football's biggest prize.

As expected, several of Europe's top teams took note of Enzo's performances, including Graham Potter's Chelsea.

MORE: Graham Potter needs time MORE than money at Chelsea

And the Blues had seemingly won the race to sign the midfielder, with reports of a deal being agreed earlier in the week.

However, it turns out that Chelsea are not willing to pay the €120 million that Benfica are holding out for - to Blues fans' dismay.

But, while the 21-year-old would be an excellent addition to the squad, missing out on him isn't the end of the world.

Chelsea need GOALS

Owner Todd Boehly has splashed the cash since he took over from Roman Abramovich towards the end of the 2021-22 season.

Indeed, he has spent just short of €350m on new players such as Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella - many of which haven't panned out.

Contrary to popular belief, Chelsea don't have an endless transfer budget, so spending the bulk of the remaining funds on Fernandez would be a mistake.

Potter's side have the fourth-best defence in the league, but the 12th best attack. That is simply unacceptable for a team looking to challenge for a place in the Champions League.

The good news is that the Chelsea hierarchy may have identified this, as the Daily Mail reports that they are interested in Marcus Thuram and Dani Olmo.

Thuram, in particular, would be a smart piece of business; he has just just six months left on his contract.

And the Borussia Monchengladbach man would provide exactly what Chelsea need - GOALS! He has scored 10 times in 14 Bundesliga appearances in the 2022-23 season.