Enzo Fernandez openly pined for a move away to Madrid, and that landed him suspended by Chelsea for two games. Enzo served the first of internal, two match ban in the rout of Port Vale in the FA Cup quarterfinals last weekend. He’ll conclude the club suspension on Sunday versus Manchester City.
Fernandez, speaking with YouTube channel Avirales, said the following: “I’d like to live in Spain, I really like Madrid; it reminds me of Buenos Aires. Players live where they want. I’d live in Madrid. I get by [speaking] English, but I’d be more comfortable in Spanish.”
Chelsea FC vs Manchester City
Kickoff: Sunday April 12, 4:30pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Team News: Chelsea FC Manchester City
Premier League Standing, Form: Chelsea FC 6th 48 pts DLWLL Manchester City 2nd, 61 pts, WWWDD
Result Probability: Chelsea FC 31% Draw 25% Manchester City 44%
Chelsea Team News
These remarks, plus the fact that Enzo Fernandez has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, left Blues boss Liam Rosenior with no choice but to discipline his vice-captain. However, it doesn’t mean the door is closed on the Argentine midfielder’s career. Not just yet.
Rosenior said to BBC Sport last week: “I have got no bad words to say about him but a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. As a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect. He’s frustrated because he wants us to be successful.
“In terms of the decision, it’s not all about me, or the sporting directors. The ownership, the players, we are aligned in our decision.
“The door is not closed on Enzo. It’s a sanction. You have to protect the culture, and in terms of that, a line was crossed.”
It’s not guaranteed that Enzo is out the door this summer, but most likely he will be. Elsewhere in terms of team news for Sunday, Beniot Badiashile (illness/virus) should be back in the squad on Sunday. Reece James and Filip Jorgensen could return, but their making the matchday squad is still doubtful.
Meanwhule Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Trevoh Chalobah are looking at returns sometime next month. Otherwise the Blues team news remains the same as it was entering last weekend.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.