Jamie Redknapp has expressed his sympathy for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, saying he looks “lost” after the Blues smashed the British transfer record to sign him from Benfica in January in a deal worth £106.8m. Fernandez has made 20 appearances for Chelsea since his arrival in West London, but has been unable to help turn the club’s fortunes around in what has been a horrific season for the Blues. Redknapp singled out Fernandez at half-time during Chelsea’s clash at Manchester City on Sunday, saying: “I’m looking at Enzo Fernandez right now, he looks a bit lost, I feel a bit sorry for him.”
Last month, Wesley Sneijder hit out at Fernandez over his performance against Real Madrid, as Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League to the Spanish side. Sneijder said: “If you have been brought in as a player for 100 million then you can at least expect that he will run his lungs out, right? But he walked! He loses the ball himself, then he has a moment of mourning. You see Enzo, a 100 million purchase, trudge a bit while Gallagher runs past him. That is not possible, it must be addressed. You look at a boy like that and I wonder: what does he take ownership of? He doesn’t. I’d call that boy on the mat tomorrow. I don’t think he’s a great footballer either. You (the show’s presenter) said he did it for Lionel Messi (at the World Cup), I thought he would do it at Chelsea too, but he doesn’t. If things don’t go smoothly in football, and you’re not scoring goals, then you have to make sure you don’t concede. You have to run your lungs out, and he won’t do that.”