Enzo Fernandez: Ranking Chelsea star's best transfer options

Cameron Smith

5 Nov 2024 20:00 GMT
4 min read

Enzo Fernandez’s future at Chelsea no longer seems secure and a number of top European clubs are now monitoring his situation at Stamford Bridge.

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The Argentina international has been usurped by Romeo Lavia in Enzo Maresca’s preferred starting XI and he has already been demoted to Chelsea’s cup team, which also contains the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix.

Fernandez wore the captain’s armband in each of his first six Premier League appearances of the campaign, but he has now been named on the substitutes bench for three consecutive league games.

Barcelona and Inter Milan are both interested in signing Fernandez, according to The Sun, while Real Madrid could reportedly offer Aurelien Tchouameni in a swap deal for the Argentine.

When asked about Fernandez’s current role ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Manchester United, Blues boss Maresca admitted: “At this moment Enzo is not playing but there is no problem with Enzo.

“The noise about Enzo is because clubs pay so much money for them, people expect they will always be the best. That is not so.

“The only reason he is not playing is just because the physicality I prefer is from [Moises] Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.”

However, Fernandez has been heavily linked with a Chelsea exit and given Andrey Santos is set to be handed a first-team role upon his return from a loan spell at Strasbourg, the Argentina superstar could well leave Stamford Bridge in 2025.

Who should Enzo Fernandez join?

The ex-Benfica star was one of the most highly-rated midfielders on the planet following his stellar form at the 2022 World Cup, with every elite club interested in signing him before Chelsea lodged a €121 million bid.

As a result, Fernandez could feasibly join one of Europe’s very top clubs and his potential certainly merits interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

However, his inconsistent form is a concern and the fact he has been dropped by Chelsea is worrying.

Fernandez’s lack of mobility means he would suit a slower division than the Premier League, and his skillset would be ideal for La Liga.

Barcelona look set with Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Pedri, Fermin Lopez and Marc Casado at Hansi Flick’s disposal, but a move to Real Madrid is slightly more appealing.

Current ETV

Enzo Fernández

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

Enzo Fernández

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€40.7M - €67.9M

Luka Modric’s Los Blancos contract is due to expire next summer and Fernandez would be an interesting replacement for the Croatian superstar.

The Argentine would benefit from playing alongside the likes of Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde, who both possess immense mobility, while his creative passing would help Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe in attack.

Meanwhile, a move to Inter would also be an interesting one for Fernandez. Simone Inzaghi has helped Henrikh Mykhitaryan and Hakan Calhanoglu become elite midfielders and the current Chelsea ace could be the next in line to follow suit.

Data analytics experts SciSports believe Fernandez is best suited to remaining at Chelsea, but Inter rank as his third best option, behind Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid, by comparison, rank 28th, while Barcelona are 36th.

Fernandez is still only 23 years old, however a move away from Chelsea may be his best course of action if he is unable to work his way back into Maresca’s first-choice starting XI.

A switch to Real Madrid may be perfect if Modric departs, but Inzaghi’s Inter might be the perfect platform for Fernandez to kickstart his career.