Rio Ferdinand and Gianfranco Zola believe that Enzo Fernandez has what it takes to be successful in the Premier League despite question marks over his price tag. The 22-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge after impressing for Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar.
The Blues hierarchy held intense talks with Benfica on January deadline day in order to sign Fernandez, who was identified as a primary target in late December, football.london understands. The west Londoners will pay the Portuguese giants £106.7million in six instalments, making the Argentine the most expensive player in Premier League history.
His arrival sparked great controversy, with many pundits and fans claiming that Chelsea paid over the odds. But, despite this, Ferdinand and Zola have insisted that Fernandez has what it takes to be an instant success on British soil.
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Speaking on BT Sport ahead of the Blues' clash with West Ham, the former Manchester United defender highlighted the strong mentality Fernandez showcased at the World Cup. Ferdinand said: "What strikes me about him is the confidence.
"For one so young, his trajectory in the last year has been - I’ve never seen anything like it, and it doesn’t faze him. I watched him go into that World Cup team and looks like somebody who is meant to be in there, not fazed, playing at the World Cup.
"And the pressure those Argentinians were under to produce the World Cup - not even for the country, but for [Lionel] Messi - you can’t put that into numbers what that means, and he went out there and played like it was any game.
"He’ll come to the Premier League, and there’s some players you feel need a bit of time to adapt, but he doesn’t look like that kind of player. He looks like a player but with a mentality to match."
Signing from the same hymn sheet, Zola agreed. The Chelsea legend labelled Fernandez as the 'complete' player who is just a strong mentally as he is technically.
"I’ve been very, very impressed," Zola told BT Sport. "What I like about him is he can play short but also he can play long. He’s got this long range passing, also can shoot, so he’s a very, very complete player. Also he’s really mature, he’s got a strong personality and makes him such a good player."
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