Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández has questioned the club’s decision to part ways with former manager Enzo Maresca, insisting the move “hurt” the team.
Fernández’s future at Chelsea has been plunged into doubt in the months that followed January’s exit of Maresca, to whom the midfielder was thought to be close. He did little to calm the speculation during a recent interview before pledging his commitment to Chelsea a few days later.
However, a new interview with TUDN has once again aimed the spotlight on Fernández, who did not hold back with his assessment of the decision to change managers midway through the season.
“I don’t understand it either,” Fernández confessed. “Sometimes there are things that we as players don’t understand, how and in what way they try to manage things.
“Obviously, it was a departure that hurt us a lot because we had an identity. He gave us an order, even though, as is the way of football, sometimes it’s good and bad.
“But he always had a very clear identity when it came to training and playing, and obviously his departure hurt us a lot, especially in the middle of the season, it cuts everything short.”
What Fresh Fernández Comments Mean for His Chelsea Future
Potential issues with the manner in which Chelsea officials operate only add to the list of potential concerns felt by Fernández recently.
On the pitch, there are obvious worries about the direction of the team, humiliated in the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain and on the fringes of the race for qualification back into the competition.
We have also heard rumblings of stuttering contract talks. As part of their wage structure, which limits guaranteed earnings but rewards through performance-related bonuses, Chelsea are looking to improve Fernández’s base salary on a contract which runs until 2032, but an agreement has yet to be reached.
Now, Fernández has voiced concerns about Chelsea’s off-field direction, making it clear that the surprise dismissal of Maresca for reasons beyond on-field performances has not sat well with the squad.
None of this means a summer exit is guaranteed, and the fact Fernández’s contract still has six years left to run will reassure Chelsea, but his frustrations threaten to make life incredibly difficult for the Blues this summer.
Chelsea Fans Ramp Up Protests Against Ownership
Questions about Chelsea’s conduct at a business level have been common this season. Fans have already been protesting against the ownership, with most of the frustrations sparked by Maresca’s departure, which came about after the Italian clashed with those above him over their approach to running the team.
Fans have pointed to a clumsy, expensive transfer strategy and the limited on-field progress to justify their concerns, and fan group NotAProjectCFC have now confirmed the next step of their protests.
On April 18, before the match against Manchester United, the group intend to welcome a number of fans from Strasbourg, the other BlueCo-owned entity whose protests have been ongoing for far longer, to join forces against the ownership.
“As a result of the continued erosion of values at both football clubs, we have decided to come together to take action with one clear, unified message: Blueco Out,” a statement read.
“We plan to shine a light on not only the incompetence and mismanagement at Chelsea, but also the restrictions implemented by multi-club ownership, where clubs like Strasbourg are being stripped of their identities, and where long-standing and respected fan groups are being censored and repressed by a brutal ownership.
“We believe this could be a seismic moment in the history of football, where fans of clubs from separate countries will come together to do what is right not only for our clubs individually, but for the sport more widely. Together we can force change.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Enzo Fernandez’s Chelsea Tensions Escalate With ‘Hurt’ Admission.
