Chelsea can still sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez in January. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea succeeded to bring in Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day, making him the most coveted signing of the club.
Chelsea started pursuing the player in January, and the club came close to finalising a deal twice, but it ultimately fell through since Benfica were adamant about releasing him.
But it all came down to Benfica’s president’s decision on the last day of January when Chelsea agreed to meet the Portuguese club’s buyout clause.
However, it appeared that Benfica were still unwilling to offer the Argentine, but in the end, they agreed to sell the player, as the 22-year-old became the most expensive signing in British transfer history with a fee of £106.8 million (€120 million), surpassing Jack Grealish’s £100 million move to Manchester City from Aston Villa.
In a statement following his signing (h/t Evening.Standard), the former River Plate player praised the club’s co-chairmen Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali for their efforts in bringing the player to Stamford Bridge, saying:
“I am grateful to Chelsea and its ownership for doing everything they could to make me a part of this project.”
“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.”
Many would contend that paying that much money on a player who joined Benfica six months ago after leaving River Plate would be startling since Fernandez wasn’t even well-known in Europe, but his World Cup performance has unquestionably elevated his stature.
Furthermore, when he came in against Saudi Arabia, he was one of the players who altered the situation for Argentina. He made an immediate difference for the South Americans, who went all the way to the final game and took home the trophy.
Now that Jorginho has left Chelsea, fans will be counting on the 22-year-old to help the team stabilise their midfield. Hopefully, we will give Fernandez time to develop to his full potential in the Premier League.
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