Liam Rosenior has said he will not feature in the next two matches against Chelsea after Real Madrid target Enzo Fernandes spoke out about his future.
Fernandes will miss Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final match against Port Vale and next Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester City, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
However, Rosseniol has revealed that he will not take disciplinary action against Marc Cucurella, who criticized the club’s recruitment policy and questioned Enzo Maresca’s departure in an interview during the international break.
“It’s unfortunate to say that. What I want to say about Enzo is that there are no bad things to say about him as a person,” Rosenior said at a press conference on Friday.
“But we crossed a line in terms of our culture. We had to impose sanctions.”
Sunday, April 12th 4pm
4:30pm kickoff
Fernandes has been regularly linked with a move to Real in the summer, and after the Champions League last-16 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain he cast doubt on his future at Chelsea, telling ESPN Argentina: “I don’t know” when asked if he would remain at the club next season.
“My focus is on the here and now and the World Cup is coming up so we’ll see when it’s over,” he added.
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Take a look at Fernandes’ five best Premier League goals for Chelsea.
Fernandes delved further into his time with Argentina during the international break, telling Argentine media personality Marcos Giles: “I really like Madrid. It’s similar to Buenos Aires.”
Fernandes was then asked if he would consider living in Madrid, to which he replied: “Of course.”
Rosenior said of Fernandes: “First of all, I have the utmost respect for what Enzo Fernandes has achieved in his career, as a person, as a human being and as a player.
“He’s frustrated because he wanted Chelsea to be successful this year. He still wants that and we can still do that.”
“As far as decisions go, we were united in every decision and it was a joint decision.
“The door is not closed on Enzo. That is very important. This is a sanction. We have to protect this club and our culture. In that respect, we crossed a line during the international break.”
Merce criticizes Fernandes’ decision to quit
Paul Merson says this in a soccer feature:
“I think Enzo sat down with him (Roseniol) and said, ‘I want to quit.’ I saw Cucurella meet with him. But I think Enzo went in and said, ‘I want to quit.’
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Paul Merson and Clinton Morrison disagree with Chelsea’s decision to release Liam Rosenior and Enzo Fernandex following his comments regarding his future
“One of the things you have to do as a manager is you can’t cut off your nose to disfigure your face. Let the fans see that situation, not you. If the fans are unhappy with Enzo, they’ll let you know. But let him play on the pitch.”
“He’s one of Chelsea’s best players. As a Chelsea fan, it’s a shame, but it’s good news for Man City.”
What is Fernandes’ contract status? Could Real sign him?
The Chelsea vice-captain’s contract runs until 2032, and the Blues would only consider an offer of more than £100m for one of their key players.
Chelsea do not consider Fernandes untouchable and are planning to sign a new midfielder this summer.
Asked whether the 25-year-old was happy at Chelsea, Rosenior said: “I can’t speak for him.
“What I know is that when he was on the pitch, even when we lost against Everton, there was no lack of dedication in his performance.
“In terms of representing him and what he wants in the future, that’s not for me to speak for.”
Real Madrid are planning to sign a midfielder this summer, with players such as Fernandes and Manchester City’s Rodri among their targets.
It remains to be seen whether they will spend more than £100m on Fernandes if cheaper options become available.
Chelsea signed Fernandes from Benfica three years ago for a then British record £106.8m.
He was close to former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who left the club in controversial circumstances earlier this year.
Fernandes’ agent says decision is ‘completely unfair’
Fernandes’ agent Javier Pastore said in an interview with The Athletic that the decision was “completely unfair.”
“Enzo didn’t understand the situation. When the coach told him, he accepted it because he’s a very professional guy who always gives his all no matter where he is and respects decisions,” Pastore said.
“However, we do not understand this suspension because he has not mentioned any clubs and has not said that he wants to leave Chelsea. He was asked which city in Europe he would like to live in one day, and he only mentioned the city of Madrid.
“He said Madrid because the language is similar to Buenos Aires, because it’s logical (of course Argentines would say that), and also because of the culture and climate.
“But he never said he wanted to leave Chelsea or London.”
Enzo Fernandes to miss Chelsea’s next two games
Pastore also revealed that negotiations over a new contract have stalled, adding: “There was certainly talk of renewing the contract. We started talking around December or January, but we couldn’t reach 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 and it may be troubling for the club considering he is a very important player, but these are things that have to be managed.
“We felt it was better to leave things as they are and focus on playing well and performing well rather than renewing the player’s contract on terms that he would not be happy with…We don’t want to discuss numbers, contracts and negotiations when the timing is not right.
“Our plan after the World Cup is to meet again with Chelsea and consider other options if we cannot reach an agreement.”
Rosenior: “Cucurella should not have made his criticism public”
Fernandes was not the only Chelsea player to speak publicly about the international break, with Cucurella criticizing the club’s policy of signing young players.
Speaking while working in Spain, the defender also blamed Maresca’s departure for Chelsea’s recent struggles.
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Marc Cucurella becomes the second senior Chelsea player to call into question the direction of the club over comments made on international duty.
Italian substitute Rosenior said he had discussed his comments with Cucurella, but remains subject to selection and could captain the team on Saturday after shortlisting the names of Spaniards who could wear the armband against Port Vale.
But Rosenior said Cucurella should not have spoken publicly and should have told the club his thoughts privately.
“I had a great conversation with Mark yesterday. We were in the office for 30 minutes,” he said.
“The unfortunate thing for me is what we’re trying to create here, I’ve only been here three months.
“I’ve been telling them (the players) since day one that if you have a problem with the way we’re doing it, come and talk to me and talk to the sporting directors as well.
“My disappointment with Marc’s interview is where it all ended up. I think he should have told us first how he felt. I want the players to feel they can speak openly and honestly for the benefit of the football club.”
“And the conversations I had with Reece James are why Reece signed a new contract because he believes in where we’re going. And as a football club, myself included, we know we need to improve and we actually know what we’re going to do in the summer to achieve those goals.”
Asked why Cucurella did not speak to the club first, Rosenior replied: “Everyone knows Marc Cucurella and knows his personality. He is a great person, passionate and wants to do well. He gave a long interview where he spoke with passion and said what he thought.”
“When I was in the office with him for 30 minutes yesterday, it was just to remind him that you can come and talk to me, you can be honest with me, you can be honest with the club about what you want. It takes time.
“I’ve been here for two and a half months and played 20 games, so it takes time to build those relationships and bonds.
“But Mark is fully committed and wants to be here and has made that very clear to me. And he actually believes in the direction we’re moving forward.”
This summer, the target audience is those with PL experience.
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Kabe Solhekol breaks down the numbers behind Chelsea’s pre-tax losses
Chelsea will have a busy summer transfer window, with deals expected to include proven players with a proven track record in the Premier League.
They are expected to sign a centre-back and a midfielder, but they cannot rule out signing a goalkeeper, although Mike Penders could return from his loan to sister club Strasbourg.
Strasbourg forward Emmanuel Emega and Sporting Lisbon winger Giovanny Quenda have already signed deals to join Chelsea in the summer.
Rosseniol admitted on Friday that the club needed to bring in “mentally stable players” after Cucurella criticized the team’s lack of experience.
“We’re bringing in a mentally stable player, we’re bringing in a good character who can understand what it takes to win in difficult moments,” Rosenior said.
“We’ve had great conversations with the owners and supporting directors about what we’re going to do in the summer, and we’ve had conversations with certain players in the group as well. They’re really, really happy with the direction we’re going in.”
Asked how devastating Fernandes and Cucurella’s comments were, the former Hull manager replied: “It’s not ideal. I think a lot of this is down to the fact that we’ve had a really, really tough 10 days. Probably the toughest 10 days of my career, both as a player and as a coach.”
“Going back to the first game against PSG, the faith in the group and what we did, the performance was great, but it all fell apart in 15 minutes and I think there was a big emotional drop from that game and it affected the three games we played after that.”
“Why was there such a huge emotional fallout? It’s because the players were so motivated and had such a strong belief that they could do something really special in this year’s Champions League.
“I think that’s where not only Enzo’s comments come from, but also Kuku’s interview.
“Actually, it comes from a good place of them wanting to perform well. They want the club to be successful. But I think in moments like that we need more emotional stability, as a group of players, me as the head coach and as a football club, to not react in the way we have done to the setbacks we have had.”
