Enzo Fernandez was heavily jeered by Fulham supporters at Craven Cottage during his first appearance for Chelsea since reaffirming his pantomime villain status with Argentina at the World Cup. The Chelsea midfielder was booed and taunted throughout the match, with fans chanting “England” and jeering his every touch.
This was not a normal smattering of chants from a few fans. It was loud and vicious. Even at Fulham, known for its quaint Craven Cottage and latte-sipping classes, the reception was remarkable and overwhelming.
A taste of things to come
It was a taste of things to come in every game this season. Football fans up and down the country will not forgive Fernandez for his part in Argentina’s ugly, bad-tempered and bitter win over England in the World Cup semi-final. In particular, the way Fernandez taunted England fans afterwards by cupping his hands to his ears to mock them after Argentina’s victory in Atlanta.
That makes it rather hard to understand why Fernandez seems intent on moving from Chelsea to Manchester City. City boss Enzo Maresca wants to sign Fernandez, the player he managed and coached at Chelsea. Chelsea are braced for a £120million bid from City this week.
Why not move abroad?
So, Fernandez will swap one Premier League club for another. It begs the question: why on earth not just move abroad? That would stop it. Well, one answer is obviously that no major European team is ready to pay the transfer fee - or probably match his wages.
Fernandez made himself unpopular with Chelsea fans last season by flirting with Real Madrid - only for the Spanish giants to come out publicly and say they were not interested. That left Chelsea fans split on Fernandez and yet, actually, they chanted his name on Monday night to support him. Mind you, that was probably as much of a reaction to Fulham’s noise as anything else.
You could see even the Chelsea bench were a bit bemused by it all. One or two, including Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer, were chuckling away. Whether we like it or not, it will be a theme of the season.
Previous backlash examples
Many years ago, Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles faced a backlash because of the Falklands War. Ardiles went to Paris Saint Germain on loan, but he was quickly welcomed back. Cristiano Ronaldo got some heat after the 2006 World Cup when he got Wayne Rooney sent off after Portugal beat England in the quarter-final.
Even Arsenal’s Ben White got some stick after quitting the England camp in the Qatar World Cup in 2022. Chelsea do not appear to care as they signed Valentín Barco even though the Argentinian taunted England hero Jude Bellingham after the game.
Fernandez clearly feeds off the anger and animosity. He is quite a character. That is to be admired. But the reality is that he is really not that special. He works hard, has an incredible determination and spirit while he also plays for Argentina, one of the best teams in world football. His engine is better than his finesse.
Has Fernandez really justified his £106m price tag from when he joined Chelsea in 2023? No one could quite understand it then and Argentina had just won the World Cup! And he still divides opinion now.
Maresca reunion and future abuse
In fairness, Maresca got the best out of him as Chelsea won a European trophy, got back into the Champions League and won the Club World Cup. But is he really a player that would improve the best City team? He might do right now because they have lost Pep Guardiola and an army of talent.
However, he will come with a warning: he will get dog’s abuse in every game he plays this season whether it is for Chelsea or City. It will surely be good business for Chelsea if they get in excess of £120m and maybe it will be fun for such a pantomime villain to remain in English football. At least he will never go through a game unnoticed anymore. You will know every time he touches the ball.
