Tag: enzo
Chelsea sign Enzo Fernandez for £106.8m – paying the biggest-ever British transfer fee
Transfer deadline day LIVE: Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez £106m record move CONFIRMED, Jorginho ANNOUNCED by Arsenal
CHELSEA have confirmed the deadline day signing of Enzo Fernandez, in a British-RECORD £106m deal.
The World Cup winner has joined on an EIGHT-YEAR contract from Benfica.
Meanwhile, Jorginho’s switch from Stamford Bridge to Arsenal was announced earlier on deadline day.
And Manchester United have completed a loan deal until the end of the season for Marcel Sabitzer.
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Stay tuned with all the latest transfer news…
Amazing rise of Enzo Fernandez, from River Plate wonderkid to World Cup winner and a £106m transfer to Chelsea
CHELSEA smashed the British transfer record with a stunning £106million deal for Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez.
The Blues completed the blockbuster transfer in the early hours of Wednesday morning after a crazy day of negotiations on deadline day.
Youngster Fernandez has enjoyed a meteoric rise that began at River Plate[/caption]
It completes a remarkable month for Fernandez – who not only tasted success with his country in Qatar, but was also handed the FIFA award for best young player at the tournament.
Fernandez, 22, only made his debut in 2019 with Argentine giants River Plate.
It was ex-Chelsea star Hernan Crespo who steered his career in the right direction, during a season-long loan at Defensa y Justicia.
But it was under the stewardship of the enigmatic coach Marcelo Gallardo who elevated him to even bigger heights, earning him a blockbuster move to Portugal only this year.
Early promise
Fernandez grew up in Buenos Aires – where the locals live and breath football.
Incredibly, he joined River aged just five after discovering the game at local side Club La Recova.
Some 13 years later, after progressing through the ranks, Gallardo promoted him to the first team, where he made his debut in a 3-0 loss to L.D.U. Quito in the Copa Libertadores.
The club and Gallardo thought it was important for his development that he needed to be a starter elsewhere.
For the 2020-21 season, he was loaned out to Defensa y Justicia, where he would flourish under ex-Blues star Crespo.
Recognising Fernandez’s abilities – a possession player, who offers boundless energy and tactical intelligence – Crespo played the talent as a lone defensive midfielder.
He would go on to become a key player for Defensa y Justicia, who enjoyed a fantastic season.
They won the Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana consecutively, with Fernandez an important cog in that team’s success.
He returned to River full of confidence.
2021-22
The following season, on the insistence of Gallardo, Fernandez was brought back into the first team fold.
He immediately became a starter – scoring his first goal for the club and providing an assist in the 2-0 win over Velez Sarsfield.
It was an incredible start to the season for Fernandez, who managed eight goals and provided six assists in 19 games.
Playing further forward, his eye for a pass and a new found ability to get into the box and prove to be a threat was reaping its rewards for both club and player.
For many that season, he was the best footballer in Argentina – and there was a massive buzz about his potential.
Europe’s top clubs circled, but it was a Portuguese giant who moved first.
Fernandez soon became a driving force in River Plate’s midfield when he returned from his loan[/caption]
By 2022, Fernandez was the most sought-after talent in Argentina[/caption]
Benfica
Lisbon giants Benfica jumped ahead of the queue by paying £12million for the playmaker last summer.
Following River’s exit from the Copa Libertadores in July, Fernandez waved farewell to his team-mates and set off on a new adventure in Portugal.
Such was the belief in him – Benfica gave him their most prestigious squad number, 13.
It was famously worn by legend Eusebio during the 1960s, and isn’t handed out to anyone.
Fernandez instantly paid back his fee and the favour.
On his debut against Midtjylland in a Champions League qualifier, he scored a sumptuous half-volley from outside the box.
He followed that up with a goal on his Primeira Liga debut in a 4–0 home win over Arouca. A star was born.
Fernandez has been ever-present in a Benfica side that’s unbeaten in 28 games across all competitions this season.
They even got the better of PSG and his Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi, finishing top of their Champions League group.
Before the break for the World Cup, Fernandez was crowned Primeira Liga’s Midfielder of the Month for the third consecutive month.
It was form that set him up nicely for the greatest show on earth.
Benfica handed Fernandez their legendary No13 jersey[/caption]
Fernandez became a cult hero – as the club remain unbeaten this season in all competitions[/caption]
Tactical intelligence, passing and tenacity in the tackle are all attributes Fernandez boasts[/caption]
Argentina hero
Remarkably, Fernandez only made his debut for Argentina in September, fulfilling a dream to play alongside his idol Messi.
“To play with Leo brings me enormous joy,” Fernandez revealed after the game.
“It’s a dream come true.”
Messi would return the sentiment just three months later – calling Fernandez “a spectacular kid”, as the pair led Argentina’s charge to World Cup glory.
But it wasn’t until the final group game where Fernandez showed his country what they were missing – curling a shot into the top corner of Guillermo Ochoa’s net to seal a 2-0 victory over Mexico, in which he appeared as a sub.
It became impossible for boss Lionel Scaloni to drop him after that, showing a tenacity that was missing from Argentina’s midfield in the first game against Saudi Arabia.
Only two players across the World Cup (Mateo Kovacic and Achraf Hakimi) recorded more successful tackles than his 22.
While his crisp and incisive passing rate was 88 per cent during the tournament.
Fernandez was at his best in the final – providing a swashbuckling box-to-box display.
For Fernandez it was a dream to play alongside idol Lionel Messi[/caption]
It was fitting that before he got his hands on the World Cup, he was given the FIFA Young Player trophy.
The Premier League has seemingly gained another gem from South American, ready to elevate his club to greater success – just like he did for his country.
Chelsea finally complete record £106m transfer for Benfica star Enzo Fernandez on HUGE eight-and-a-half year contract
CHELSEA have sealed a British record £106million deal to sign Argentina World Cup star Enzo Fernandez.
The Blues left it late after tracking the midfielder since the start of the January window, getting their deal sheet in with minutes to spare.
Fernandez has had an incredible winter, winning the World Cup before joining Chelsea for £106million[/caption]
The Benfica midfielder becomes the EIGHTH signing in a month for the cash-crazy Blues.
Owner Todd Boehly has now splashed more cash than any other club in a single transfer window EVER.
The deal eclipses the £100m Manchester City spent on Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish in 2021.
And it takes Chelsea’s outlay over the last two windows to a colossal £602m when add-ons and loan fees are included.
Fernandez, 22, had a medical in Lisbon yesterday after talks stalled over the payment structure and a suggestion the Argentine player remained on loan with Benfica until the end of the season.
He has signed an EIGHT-AND-A-HALF year contract, which will run until June 2031.
Chelsea could end up paying as much as £110m with extras for a player who has scored only two goals this season.
It is reported they will shell out £40m up-front, with the rest of the whopping fee spread over five further instalments.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly has now spent £325.9m on transfers this window[/caption]
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Fernandez, 22, cost the Portuguese league leaders just £10m from River Plate last summer.
The Argentine side will bank a huge £26.5m from a sell-on clause, their own transfer record.
Fernandez, who was named Young Player of the Tournament at the 2022 World Cup, has been the No 1 January target for Chelsea chairman Boehly.
They first made a move early last month but the deal took so long to negotiate Chelsea since signed seven players.
Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto and loanee Joao Felix all joined in between to take Boehly’s mammoth outlay in the winter window to £325.9m including extras.
Boehly also spent a whopping £259.1m on upfront fees in the summer.
Fernandez has been desperate to join Chelsea all along and even said goodbye to Benfica team-mates yesterday morning, insisting ‘a deal will be done’.
The youngster will take the place of Jorginho in midfield after the Italian was sold to Arsenal.
Jorginho put pen to paper on an 18-month deal with the option of a further year at The Emirates after sealing a £12m move.