Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has shared his thoughts on Enzo Fernandez and claimed it’s just not working for the Argentine so far at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues paid Benfica more than £100m for Fernandez in January 2023 and in his first six months he impressed and was arguably the best player in a struggling Chelsea side.
There’s no doubting his quality and he’s shown it at times for Chelsea and many times on the international stage with Argentina where he’s won he World Cup and the Copa America.
Mikel shares his thoughts on Fernandez
Fernandez struggled last season, but it was revealed he played a large chunk of the season taking injections before games and eventually he had surgery on a hernia issue, which meant he missed the final six games of the campaign.
The midfielder got himself fit for the Copa America and impressed as Argentina got their hands on more international silverware.
The conversation surrounding Fernandez has been how best to utilise him in order to get the best balance in midfield and get the most out of him.
Fernandez arguably operates best when deployed in a deeper role and he can start attacks with his range of passing, but at times he’s been played almost as a number ten and it simply doesn’t work.
Chelsea are still waiting to see the very best of the 23-year-old and Mikel has now shared his thoughts on the Argentina international after his display against Brighton.
“There is a player there, we’ve seen that when Enzo Fernandez plays with Argentina,” he said on the Obi One Podcast.
“There is a player there, but it’s just not working, so far, for Chelsea Football Club.”
Mikel’s thoughts will likely be echoed by many Chelsea fans, but Fernandez hasn’t exactly had a bad start to the season, even though with the money paid more is expected from him.
He’s facing an important season under Enzo Maresca and he’s now part of the leadership group at the club and has captained the side on a number of occasions, with everyone associated with the club hoping this will be the season Fernandez steps up and shows his quality on a regular basis.
