Chelsea selling Enzo Fernandez is nowhere near as straightforward now
Despite the deadline Chelsea set for the sale of Enzo Fernandez passing, he is still being linked with a move to Manchester City. However, the transfer is a complicated one.
City have sold Rodri to Barcelona, and Nico Gonzalez could be on his way to Newcastle United. Therefore, Enzo Maresca's side needs a more defensively minded midfielder. They could get this in the form of Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille.
Elliot Anderson has already arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Nottingham Forest earlier in the window for £116 million. Therefore, do City really need to spend over £100 million on another central midfielder? They also already have former Chelsea player Matteo Kovacic in their ranks.
Tijjani Reijnders has departed for the Saudi Pro League, so City do need to bring in another midfielder. However, Fernandez and Anderson appear to be too similar players. It would be like trying to fit Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard into the same system, which England struggled to do during the era of the so-called 'Golden Generation.'
Maresca would want a reunion with Fernandez, who starred for him at Chelsea. Fernandez was a key player in Maresca guiding Chelsea to Club World Cup and Europa Conference League success.
The Blues are without any European football this season, which should improve their Premier League form drastically. Alonso will most weeks only have to worry about one game. Their squad should be much fresher, so Chelsea should finish in the top four at a minimum this season. The Blues may even be a dark horse for the title.
City have also been linked with Many Kone of AS Roma, and Felix Nmecha of Borussia Dortmund this summer. Either player would be a more affordable option for Maresca. There has also been reported interest in Eduardo Camavinga, which could be smart as the Frenchman is more defensively minded.
Who could Chelsea replace Enzo Fernandez with?
The transfer window closes on September 1, so if Chelsea does sell Fernandez to City, then it will leave them little time to find a suitable replacement. This is especially as Mikel Arteta has insisted that Myles Lewis-Skelly is going nowhere. The full-back turned central midfielder has also starred in the Community Shield and in Arsenal's first Premier League game of the season.
Chelsea have been linked with Martin Zubimendi, whose game time at Arsenal appears to be limited this season. Zubimendi was excellent last season, but the Gunners have still found a replacement for him in Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.
The Blues already have Moises Caicedo, who is the best defensive midfielder in the world. It is expected that Alonso will play a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer as the two attacking midfielders.
What Chelsea needs is a central midfielder who can play alongside Caicedo regularly. They have Jordan Henderson, but he is now 36. Reece James can also play there. However, the Chelsea captain is injury-prone.
The Blues have a bloated squad and already have two other defensive midfielders in Romeo Lavio and Darrio Essugo. They also have Valentine Barco, who arrived at the club from sister club Strasbourg this summer.
It was unusual for Chelsea to set their own deadline for Fernandez. However, the transfer window is still open, so anything could happen. Alonso's downfall at Real Madrid was failing to control the club's big egos. Fernandez appears to be a bad egg, as he has been angling for a move away from Stamford Bridge for some time.
Alonso has remained tight-lipped on Fernandez's future in recent press conferences. Therefore, it seems likely that the new Chelsea manager would want the Argentine gone.
