Enzo Fernandes and his agent have apologized to Chelsea for comments made by Enzo Fernandes while on international duty in Argentina.
Fernandes said in an interview that he welcomes life in Madrid, leaving open the possibility of a move to Real Madrid in the summer.
There have been no negotiations to sell Fernandes, and his contract with Chelsea runs until 2032.
Following these comments, Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior announced last Friday that Fernandes would be left out of the squad for two games, live on Sky Sports: last Saturday’s 7-0 win over Port Vale and this weekend’s Sunday game against Manchester City.
Sunday, April 12th 4pm
4:30pm kickoff
Real Madrid are looking to sign a midfielder this summer and Fernandes is one of their targets. Chelsea are not looking to sell the player, who is thought to be worth more than £100m.
Fernandes is one of the players seeking improved terms of his contract with Chelsea, but his cause will not be helped by his comments in Argentina.
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Paul Merson and Clinton Morrison disagree with Chelsea’s decision to release Liam Rosenior and Enzo Fernandes following their comments regarding their futures.
What did Fernandes and his agent say?
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.
During the international break with Argentina, Fernandes told 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.”
“We crossed a line in terms of our culture, and we had to impose sanctions,” Rosenior said last Friday of Fernandez’s punishment.
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Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has explained why he sacked Enzo Fernandes over his comments about his future and relationship with Real Madrid.
The Chelsea midfielder’s agent, Javier Pastore, subsequently slammed the decision to keep Fernandes out for two games as “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 or said he wants to leave Chelsea.
“He asked me which city in Europe he wanted to live in someday, and all he said was Madrid.
“He said Madrid because of the language, because it’s similar to Buenos Aires, which Argentines would say, because it’s logical, and also because of the culture and the climate. But he never said he wanted to leave Chelsea or London.”
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 rather than renewing the player’s contract on terms he is not 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.”
It was the last time Chelsea’s head coach publicly commented on the situation, but after the 7-0 win over Port Vale, Rosenior said: “Me and Enzo are in a very good situation. I met him today (Saturday) and I had a very good one-on-one conversation with him. The situation is not what people think it is.”
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Liam Rosenior has accused Enzo Fernandes’ agent Javier Pastore of the decision to sanction the midfielder as “unfair” and said their relationship is “in very good condition”.
Asked about comments made by Fernandes’ agent Javier Pastore, Rosseniol said: “That is his opinion. I have nothing to say about other people’s opinions.”
“Enzo knows how I feel about him and it was great to see him here today to support the players. We can move forward and have a really good run-in for the season.”
