It's not quite been the start to 2023 many Chelsea supporters hoped for. A frustrating draw with Nottingham Forest was followed up with a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League. Meanwhile, off the pitch, the Blues have been left frustrated in their rather public pursuit of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Negotiations with the Portuguese giants over a deal for the midfielder, who helped Argentina win the World Cup last month, began before the January transfer window had even opened. Yet despite much noise and speculation, no agreement has been reached and Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt has hit out at Chelsea's conduct.
"What the club is doing who wants Enzo, it's disrespectful against all of us, against Benfica and I cannot accept what they are doing," said Schmidt. "To make the player crazy and pretend they can pay the clause, only to then later want to negotiate, I think is not what I understand about a good relationship between clubs who maybe want to discuss about the player."
