After manager Liam Rosenior revealed that Enzo Fernandes will be ruled out of Chelsea’s next two games, the former Benfica midfielder’s representative has reacted to the punishment
Liam Rosenior laid down the law for Enzo Fernandes and his agent responded (Image: Darren Walsh, Chelsea FC, via Getty Images)
Enzo Fernandes’ agent has slammed Liam Rosenior for his “totally unfair” punishment of the Chelsea midfielder, and confirmed that new contract talks are close between the player and the club.
Rosenior recently confirmed that the Argentine will be ruled out of the FA Cup quarter-finals against Port Vale and the crucial Premier League game against Manchester City. Rosenior claimed the World Cup winner had “crossed a line” by admitting he dreamed of living in Madrid one day, amid mounting speculation that he would move to Real Madrid.
Shortly after the Chelsea boss made his position clear, Fernandes’ agent, former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Javier Pastore, revealed that talks were already taking place over a £107m contract extension with Stamford Bridge. He also warned that Fernandes would consider leaving if a new deal was not reached by the end of this summer’s World Cup, while slamming the sanctions handed down on his client as “totally unfair”.
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The former PSG star told The Athletic: “Suspending a player for two games is completely unfair and is also extremely important for Chelsea as Champions League qualification is at stake and he is one of the team’s most important players.”
“Along with other players of course, he has proven himself this year to be a leader and a key player, the backbone of Chelsea’s team. I think it’s too harsh given the current situation at Chelsea and there’s no real reason or justification for why he’s been suspended.”
“I understand Chelsea’s position and the club managers’ position in response to the reaction to his comments, but the fact is that he has never mentioned any club or said he wants to leave. What has been reported in the media is the responsibility of each media outlet and journalist who has drawn their own conclusions. I understand the club’s situation, but I do not understand this punishment.”
Enzo Fernandes will not feature in Chelsea’s next two games (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
Pastore also insisted that Fernandes had accepted the punishment without complaint “because he is a very professional man”, but stressed that he did not think that Fernandes’ comments about living in Madrid, in the words of Rosenior, had crossed the line. Pastore added: “He was asked which European city he wanted to live in someday, and he just said Madrid.
“He said Madrid because of the language, because it’s similar to Buenos Aires, because it’s logical – of course Argentines would say that – and because of the culture, the climate… but he never said he wanted to leave Chelsea or London.”
Asked if there had been contract negotiations between Fernandes and Chelsea, Pastore said: “There was talk of renewing his contract, yes. We started talking about it in December or January, but we couldn’t come to an agreement.”
“Enzo still has six years left on his contract, but we decided not to renew it because the terms were not suitable for us or for the player. Considering Enzo’s abilities today, he is worth much more than he is currently earning.”
“We haven’t reached an agreement yet. Maybe this is bothering the club, given that he is a very important player, but these are things that have to be managed. I look at the sporting and financial aspects of the player’s situation, but they were not very realistic about Enzo’s current situation, so I didn’t think that renewal would happen.”
Pastore went on to reveal that Fernandes had chosen to put talks on hold so that he could fully focus on Chelsea’s goals for this season, and insisted that he intended to hold talks with Chelsea again after this summer’s World Cup.
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