Chelsea drops Enzo Fernandez after ‘a line was crossed’ with Madrid comments

LONDON — Chelsea have left Enzo Fernandez out of their next two matches after the midfielder told a podcast he would like to live in Madrid, comments coach Liam Rosenior said crossed “a line” in the club’s dressing-room culture.

The Argentina international, signed for a British-record £107 million in 2023 and named vice-captain the following year, will sit out Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale and next weekend’s Premier League encounter with Manchester City, fixtures Rosenior labelled “absolutely crucial” to the club’s Champions League qualification hopes.

Fernandez’s agent, Javier Pastore, branded the two-game ban “completely unfair”, insisting the 24-year-old never expressed a desire to leave Stamford Bridge and mentioned only the Spanish capital, not Real Madrid or any other club.

“There’s no real reason or justification for why he has been banned,” Pastore told The Athletic. “Enzo didn’t understand the situation. When the coach told him he accepted it because he’s a highly professional guy who’s always fully committed wherever he is and respects decisions, but we don’t understand the punishment.”

Pastore added that, following the World Cup, he plans to meet Chelsea officials to discuss Fernandez’s future and, “if there is no agreement, to explore other options.”

Rosenior, appointed Chelsea manager earlier this season, stressed the sanction was intended to safeguard squad unity rather than punish the player personally.

“It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way. I’ve got no bad words to say about him but a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build,” the coach said. “Enzo, firstly, as a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect. He’s frustrated because he wants us to be successful. The door is not closed on Enzo. It’s a sanction. You have to protect the culture, and in terms of that, a line was crossed.”

Fernandez, contracted to Chelsea until 2031, has been a mainstay in midfield since his arrival and his absence leaves Rosenior without one of his most influential players at a pivotal stage of the campaign.

Chelsea enter the weekend sitting just outside the Premier League’s top four, with Champions League qualification likely to hinge on results against City and other fellow contenders.