Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea and Argentina midfielder has 'mentality to match' quality, says Rio Ferdinand
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Published 11/02/2023 at 12:47 GMT
Chelsea's capture of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British transfer fee of £106.8 million raised eyebrows, but Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole believe the midfielder will be a resounding success in the Premier League. The former believes Fernandez will settle in quickly while the latter described him as a "winner". Gianfranco Zola said he is a "complete player".
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Chelsea’s new midfielder Enzo Fernandez has the “mentality” to match his skillset and will settle seamlessly into the Premier League, according to Rio Ferdinand.
The midfielder – who won the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar – joined Chelsea from Benfica on Deadline Day in January, smashing the British transfer record with a fee worth £106.8 million, a figure that raised eyebrows considering he represented the Portuguese side only 25 times.
However, the 22-year-old was arguably Graham Potter’s best player as the Blues were held to a goalless draw at home to Fulham on his debut and, speaking to BT Sport, former England international Ferdinand believes that positive showing is only a sign of things to come.
“I think the confidence is what strikes me about him for someone so young,” said Ferdinand.
“His trajectory in the last year, I've never seen anything like it and it doesn't faze him.
“I watched him in the World Cup. He goes into that team and he looks like somebody who's meant to be in there. Not fazed, playing the World Cup.
“The pressure that those Argentinians are under to produce the World Cup, not only for their country but for [Lionel] Messi, you can't put that into numbers what that means. And he went out there and played like it was any game.
“There's some players, you think they need a bit of time to adapt [to the Premier League], I don't really feel he's that type of guy. He looks like a player but with a mentality to match.”
It has been a tough campaign for Graham Potter’s side this season in the Premier League, with the top four almost out of reach, but Joe Cole feels Fernandez could be a game-changer for the Blues.
He said: “People have been asking the question: what is Enzo Fernandez? Is he an attacking midfielder? Is he a defensive midfielder? He does a bit of both. He's got a lot of quality, plays the ball forward, he reads the game.
“When you look at the titles he’s already won, he's a winner. He wins the ball and plays it forward.
“I think Chelsea have been quite ponderous at times this season going forward. When you’ve got him in midfield, it releases the front three, the wingbacks, because they feel that they can get forward. He's a winner.
“I think Chelsea have got a player that they've been crying out for, someone who can link the play from defence, particularly now that Jorginho has left the building.”
Former Chelsea forward Gianfranco Zola added: “To be honest, I've been very, very impressed with the way he plays football. What I like about him, he can play short, but also he can play long. He’s got this long range passing, he also can shoot. So he’s a very, very complete player.
“He is also very mature. He has got a very strong personality and that makes him such a good player.”
“He is also very mature. He has got a very strong personality and that makes him such a good player.”
Fernandez scored three goals following his £10m move from River Plate to Benfica in July 2020.
He scored 12 times and registered 10 assists in 53 games for the Argentine Primera Division side before moving to Europe.
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