Chelsea wasted little time in getting their new January signings accustomed to the club as a whole host of players were drafted into the side, including a debut for Enzo Fernandez against Fulham. The 22-year-old signed for a British record transfer fee at just over £106million on transfer deadline day.
The Blues worked incredibly hard to get a deal over the line for the World Cup winner, locked in long and intense negotiations with Benfica. It was a deal that raised plenty of eyebrows, given the spending of the club, and it continued the trend of long contracts with another handed out until 2031.
"I am grateful to Chelsea and its ownership for doing everything they could to make me a part of this project," Fernandez said after sealing a move. "I’m happy and excited to join the Pride of London, to play in the best league in the world and to compete for the biggest trophies. I can’t wait to play in front of our fans and help my teammates on and off the pitch."
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The youngster could have been given some time to adjust, but was instead thrown into things straight away against Fulham. "If you look at the players that are available of that type of level, that’s what the finances are," Graham Potter told Sky Sports about his decision to start the midfielder straight after his move.
"Enzo’s won a World Cup, he’s 22-years-old, he’s had a fantastic start to his career, but he’s a human being, he’s a young lad learning about us and the Premier League, learning about England, so that takes a bit of time. At the same time, when you spend that money there’s not a lot of patience around, I can accept that."
Fernandez paid tribute to his World Cup win earlier this year with a design on his boots before the clash. The text written on them reads: "World champions."
It's a touching tribute to his nation's historic win at the latter end of last year, something he was a huge part of in the midfield ranks of the team.
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