Enzo Fernández has had a positive start to his Chelsea career. In an otherwise difficult period, his form has been a bright spot for the Stamford Bridge side.
After signing during the January transfer window, Fernández hit the ground running and became an integral part of the Blues’ line-up as they bid to turn their season around.
Enzo Fernandez Shines
There have been plenty of positive moments early on in his time at Chelsea to cheer the fans on.
There was his smooth, floating assist to Joao Félix to give the striker his first Chelsea goal against rival West Ham, in addition to his six tackles against Fulham in a losing effort.
Combined with an impressive Champions League performance against Dortmund, despite being on the wrong end of a Karim Adeyemi counter-attack.
Fernández has shown all the signs of being a Chelsea franchise player and, dare I say it, he is worth his $129 million price tag.
At 22, he is the most expensive Premier League player in history, a World Cup winner and one of the most popular phenoms playing today. This is why.
Enzo Fernandez Origins
Enzo Fernández was born in the small town of San Martín, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and right in the backyard of his childhood club, River Plate.
Fittingly, he made his first-team appearance in 2019 aged 18. After playing occasionally for the first team and dominating under-20 competitions, he went on loan to Defensa y Justicia for more playing time.
There, he fully blossomed as one of the best midfielders in South America.
His tenacity off the ball and his technique helped him get a start and a role in the Copa Sudamericana winning season.
After returning to River Plate, his performances wowed scouts and journalists alike. His ten goals and seven assists to kick off the 2022 season prompted commentators to call him the best in Argentina.
It was fitting that it drew a lot of attention. Clubs like Wolves, City, Juve and United were interested in him, but in the end he chose Benfica to make an immediate impact and get more playing time.
The bet worked. Under Roger Schmidt, Fernández thrived in his new conservative number six position.
In 40 games this season, Fernández has four goals and an assist as Benfica battled their way to the top of the league.
But his time in Qatar convinced Chelsea to sign him.
Along with Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez and Emiliano Martínez, Fernández was instrumental in their bid to claim their third World Cup title.
Despite not starting in Saudi Arabia’s upset win over Argentina, he came off the bench to score a fantastic goal against Mexico. He assisted Julián Álvarez’s goal against Poland to ensure qualification.
From there, he played as many minutes as possible in the round of 16. His playmaking and strong tackling earned him the World Cup Best Young Player award and sparked great interest from Todd Boehly and the Chelsea board.
It brings us to now, with Fernández a mainstay in the first team and a breath of fresh air for an otherwise terrible Blues squad. But what makes Fernández so good?
His ability, explained
One of the main reasons Chelsea signed Fernández was his ability to retain possession. His Benfica maintains an average of 66.5% possession in the league, which has led Fernández to score between 75 and 150 touches per game. It helps that Fernandez is an above-average passer who can easily push the ball upfield.
He’s also a great shot maker; he ranks tenth in the Portuguese League in shot creation actions, according to FBREF. His presence, Chelsea reasoned, would help heal a porous back line, but also help create more opportunities for what can be a potent front line of Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Haverx.
As soon as he arrived at Stamford Bridge in the number 5 shirt, Enzo Fernández made quite an impact.
He started on his debut against London’s Fulham, playing in a central midfielder role. Despite the massive fitness and intelligence requirements to play such a vital position, he handled it superbly.
Fernández frequently linked up the back line when Chelsea had the ball with Thiago and Benoit Badiashile to play from behind to retain possession, but moved up into midfield when Chelsea lost it.
Although it was a miserable night for Chelsea, as the game ended 0-0, Fernández played flawlessly, racking up 93 touches in 90 minutes of action.
“I think it was handled superbly,” manager Graham Potter told reporters after the draw. “I play hard, and you could see the quality of him; You could see what he will bring to the team.”
Fernández’s master classes (and Chelsea’s poor form) continued as February wore on. A 1-1 draw with West Ham saw him send a soaring cross to Félix, who scored to open the scoring.
Although Karim Adeyemi burned him to score the only goal of Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Dortmund, Fernández had another solid game. He racked up two tackles and four blocks while providing indispensable coverage in midfield.
A catastrophic 1-0 loss to Chelsea brought nothing new. Fernández had five tackles, the most by any player in blue, as well as earning 71 touches and completing 53 passes.
It’s been a solid month for the January transfer, but this ceiling is high for the Argentine. Tough games against Spurs, Leeds and Dortmund lie ahead, but the defensive ace and creator of champion Chelsea will be up for the challenge.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/PA Images
