Enzo Fernandes was asked about his future shortly after Chelsea were eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, and he simply replied, “We’ll see.” The Blues were unable to overcome a 5-2 deficit in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, losing 3-0 at home and crashing out of Europe. Liam Rosenior is now responsible for rallying his squad to challenge for Champions League qualification via the Premier League, but faces uncertainty over the future of one of his key players.
Fernandes arrived for £106.8m as one of Bruco’s first signings, but the Argentine’s future also faces consideration, with uncertainty currently hanging over the club’s trajectory under Rosseniol. “I don’t know, but there’s eight more games and the FA Cup. There’s also the World Cup, and then we’ll see,” Fernandes told ESPN Argentina after the 8-2 aggregate loss to PSG.
Fernandes wore the captain’s armband against PSG in Reece James’ absence, and the World Cup winner has been a cornerstone of the Blues’ results this season. The 25-year-old has played 45 games this season, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists.
Asked about Fernandes’ comments after the comeback at Stamford Bridge, Rosenior insisted he had not seen the player’s comments. “First of all, I haven’t seen anything like that. It’s difficult to talk about speculation after the game and right now we need to focus on the most important thing, which is to secure a result against Everton on Saturday,” the manager said.
The midfielder expressed his frustration at Filip Jorgensen’s mistakes in the comeback first leg against PSG, but head coach Rosenior likened his mentality to Roy Keane. “As a passionate player, he wants to win, which is probably what Roy Keane did,” Rosenior said.
“Roy Keane was my manager and Roy Keane as a player probably did that 20 times a game. I want a team that has a responsible culture that demands of each other in this moment.
“Enzo loves Philippe. Enzo wants the best for him. Enzo believes in him. At that moment, he was frustrated by something that happened, and that’s normal, right?”
Fernandes helped Chelsea win the Conference League and Club World Cup last summer, but the Blues are finding it difficult to build on that accomplishment this season. They are currently fighting for Champions League qualification again, but the only trophy up for grabs this term is the FA Cup, with Chelsea facing Port Vale in the quarter-finals.
