Chelsea Axe Enzo Fernández For Two Games After ‘crossing A Line’ With Madrid Comments

Chelsea person dropped their vice-captain Enzo Fernández for nan adjacent 2 games aft he appeared to flirt pinch Real Madrid during nan world break.

The midfielder, who has been linked pinch a move to Real, offered his thoughts connected nan Spanish superior while connected world work pinch Argentina. He said: “I’d for illustration to unrecorded successful Madrid. It’s a beautiful city, reminds maine of Buenos Aires.”

The Chelsea caput coach, Liam Rosenior, said nan comments had “crossed a line” and he had informed nan 25-year-old of nan prohibition connected Friday morning.

Rosenior said: “I said pinch Enzo astir an hr ago. As a shot club, pinch maine arsenic portion of nan decision, he won’t beryllium disposable for tomorrow’s crippled [the FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale] aliases Manchester City adjacent Sunday.

“It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way. I person sewage nary bad words to opportunity astir him but a statement was crossed successful position of our civilization and what we want to build.”

Fernández has been regularly linked pinch a summertime move to Real and he formed uncertainty complete his early astatine Stamford Bridge, pursuing their crushing Champions League last-16 conclusion to Paris Saint-Germain, telling ESPN Argentina “I don’t know” erstwhile asked if he would still beryllium astatine nan nine adjacent season. The Blues person mislaid 4 consecutive games, exiting Europe aft nan 8-2 aggregate humiliation by PSG and person slumped to sixth successful nan Premier League.

The Telegraph this week reported that respective Chelsea players were unimpressed by Fernández berating his teammates connected nan pitch. “The doorway is not closed connected Enzo, that’s very important. It’s a sanction,” Rosenior said. “You person to protect this nine and culture,” he said.

Fernandez joined Chelsea for a then-British grounds £107m successful 2023 and was appointed vice-captain nan pursuing year. “Enzo, firstly, arsenic a character, a personification and a player, I person nan utmost respect,” said Rosenior. “He’s disappointment because he wants america to beryllium successful.

“It’s not ideal. A batch of this stems from a difficult 10 days successful position of results we person had – astir apt nan astir difficult for maine arsenic a subordinate aliases manager. I’ll spell backmost to nan first crippled against Paris Saint-Germain. It each fell isolated successful 15 minutes and location was a immense affectional dump that fell done into nan adjacent 3 games.

“The players were motivated that we could do thing really typical successful nan Champions League. The comments from Enzo and Marc Cucurella’s question and reply some stem from that. It really stems from a bully spot wherever they want nan nine to succeed. But successful those moments, we request much affectional stableness arsenic a group of players.”

Marc Cucurella suggested he would beryllium unfastened to a return to Spain. Photograph: Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

In what was a disruptive world break for Chelsea, Cucurella said it would beryllium “hard to move down” an connection to return to his erstwhile nine Barcelona. However, Rosenior said: “That’s a abstracted case. Marc is disposable and will beryllium progressive tomorrow. Marc is afloat committed. He wants to beryllium here. He has made that very, very clear to maine and he believes successful wherever we are going.”

On nan emotion of a rift wrong nan Chelsea dressing room, Rosenior deed back. “There are definite conversations that request to enactment down closed doors,” he said. “What location isn’t, and I want to make this very clear, location is nary rift successful nan dressing room. There is not a group of players not speaking to different group of players. We are together – maine including. Every nine spell done difficult moments. We’ve had a very difficult 10 days. Now is nan clip to travel together and perform.”