Reports suggest that Graham Potter warned Chelsea’s hierarchy that their deal to sign Enzo Fernandez was overpriced when they agreed to a €121 million (£106.8m) fee with Benfica for the midfielder in the January transfer window. Potter is said to have told Chelsea’s board that they were paying too much for the 22-year-old, who had just played a key role in Argentina’s World Cup success in Qatar and had attracted strong interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Despite Potter’s warning, Chelsea did not want to lose out in the race to sign Fernandez, who was being advised to wait until the summer before leaving Benfica.
Former caretaker manager Frank Lampard is adamant that Fernandez will be a vital part of the team under Mauricio Pochettino. Lampard said last week: ‘I’ve got a lot of faith that Enzo will be a big part of what happens in the future of this club. He’s had a massive move to the Premier League. He’s won the World Cup. He should be sitting back at the end of this season quite rightly putting his feet up and saying: ‘What a year’. But in terms of how he can affect the future, I see him being essential.’
Lampard also praised Fernandez for his attitude, saying: ‘Enzo gets it. He gets what’s required in training. He gets what’s required to be a Chelsea player. He’s got a high talent. Some players just get it. I keep talking about giving players time. But when you work with someone, you understand it very quickly, and I think he gets it.’