03 Apr 2026 16:10:06
Paul Merson has slammed Liam Rosenior's decision to drop midfielder Enzo Fernandez for the next two games following comments made regarding his future and links to Real Madrid.
Rosenior said that "a line was crossed" when Fernandez refused to rule out a move to the Spanish capital when speaking to Argentine media. As a result, he will miss the FA Cup tie with Port Vale and the following Premier League clash with Manchester City.
Marc Cucurella remains available despite his public criticisms of the club's transfer policy and questioned the departure of former boss Enzo Maresca, and Merson believes that Rosenior is making a mistake punishing Fernandez.
“I think more’s gone on than that. I think Enzo has sat down with him and told him "I want to leave," he claimed on Soccer Special.
"I’ve seen Cucurella have a meeting with him. But Enzo has gone in and said I want to leave."
“One thing you have to do as a manager is never chop your nose off to spite your face. Let the fans look after that situation. Not you. The fans will let you know if they are unhappy with Enzo. But play him on the pitch. He is one of Chelsea’s best players. It’s disappointing as a Chelsea fans, and it’s only good news for Man City.”
03 Apr 2026 17:03:45
Tend to agree somewhat.
Liam said we have plans for the summer to add "emotional stable" players (guy can't help himself), and then we go and drop a player because he said he would love to live in a specific city that reminds him of Buenos Aires.
Players hinting at moves is nothing new in football, and it does seem a bit like the club is acting like a teenager who saw their crush look at someone else.
Some would say it was an emotional response.
If Enzo came out and said he wants to leave the club and go to Madrid, while we have things to play for, I would agree that that is crossing a line. He seems to be dancing around it, as well as all the Madrid lovers do.
03 Apr 2026 17:23:36
Dangerous times for the CFC project. Not a bad sign if LR was not able to talk to EF, and at least get an agreement for EF not to speak out like this again in public. If EF is refusing to be reasonable, then LR may have had to try and assert himself in this way.
Problem is that EF certainly has been one of our best players, one of the few leaders in the team, and not to have him on the pitch v City seems stupid. LR may be shooting his own career prospects at CFC in the foot.
03 Apr 2026 17:38:55
This has now come out.
Enzo Fernández's agent Javier Pastore: "The punishment is completely unfair", told @TheAthleticFC.
"Enzo didn't understand the situation. He did not mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea, far from it".
"He only mentions Madrid, the city, because he was asked which European city he'd like to live in one day, and he said Madrid
but at no point does he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London".
It looks to me that Liam is yet again making a total tool of himself, he is trying to big himself up, stamp his feet as if he is prime Sir Alex and play the big boss, I remember AVB doing the same years ago and he too was so far out of his depth. The press will have a field day with this and if it turns ugly tomorrow I can hear chants of "ole Enzo Fernandez" ringing around the bridge.
03 Apr 2026 18:02:44
Does look as though Liam Rosenior is shooting himself and the club in the foot.
Though, perhaps, an interview given by Enzo Fernandez's agent is not the most reliable source of objective truth about this spat.
In an earlier post, I had meant to write 'not a good sign', but seem to have written 'not a bad sign'. Perhaps cos hard to see much good right now?!
03 Apr 2026 18:36:32
I'm not sure how anyone can work out that "Liam has made a total fool of himself?"
We have no idea what has been said in the meeting between the manager and the
player, but I guess if a fan wants the manager sacked, the agent's supposed defence of his client is predictable.
From what we know as fact, I wouldn't play Enzo for a lot more than two games, and I'm a fan of his.
{Ed025's Note - i want to know why flock head was not in the same dock Tom?..
03 Apr 2026 19:03:11
You could have given a one match ban, against Port Vale, obviously symbolic in nature, but at least you can say it was addressed and now we move on. The ban for the City game just offers up another potential stick with which he can be beaten with.
I don't have a major issue with selling Fernandez, it will be for decent money, and I think there are better options for our midfield on the market. I don't think this has been handled well, though, not well at all.
04 Apr 2026 00:56:18
You're right that we don't know what was said in the meeting, Tom, however, the club didn't say this ban was related to the meeting. Liam explicitly said he was receiving this ban because of what was said in the interview and that the club and Liam came to the decision together.
I agree with J, as I'm sure many fans do, that I don't have a big issue with Enzo being sold. His form has been patchy since his arrival, with very few dominating performances. Granted he has played well this season, but not enough to help us avoid the form we've had.
I personally don't have a high opinion of him as a human, haven't since the video came out and have a deeper understanding of Argentinian mentality than most, so don't chalk it down to a silly song and a mistake. However, I don't think he has done much wrong here outside of looking to either get improved terms while contract negotiations are ongoing, or looking to get a move to Madrid, a club that very few could argue is the biggest in world football and has a particular draw for South American players that speak Spanish.
Yet the club, and Liam, have once again decided to paint a target, give the media something to talk about and ostracize a player while letting another player who said much more damning remarks walk free. If we beat Citeh I expect the noise disappears. If we lose another of Liam's decisions gets scrutinized when there was no need for it. Most expected us to lose to Citeh, so why add pressure onto a team/manager that has repeatedly crumbled under the weight of small set backs?
04 Apr 2026 08:55:54
Ok, for starters, this is not the first time Enzo Fernandez has batted his eye lids at 'Spain' and 'Madrid'.
When you see those comments, it obviously refers to Real Madrid.
Apart from the two game ban, I would have also taken away the vice captaincy from him, and said you can leave if somebody comes up with %150mil all upfront.
I wonder if Real Madrid would still be interested.
The other thing is that his attitude is annoying other team players, which equates to being a bad apple.
Now to Liam Rosenior, are we seriously thinking that the ban is his doing? He is only the messenger for the owners/SD's. The coach is under severe pressure to get results; why would he drop one of his most consistent players?
Now to the media, we were damned if we did, and damned if we didn't. The media are saying why would you drop one of your best players; however, if we hadn't, they would be saying players can do what they want at our club.
04 Apr 2026 09:23:22
Whoever made the decision, it is pointless to drop a player for two matches; purely symbolic. I see LR has further enraged Strasbourg supporters by stating that they should be proud that he has gone on to coach Chelsea. What an absolute plank.
04 Apr 2026 09:31:23
Yep, should have slung him and Cucarella out for the season, and then sell them both in the summer unless a full apology is forthcoming.
04 Apr 2026 09:37:17
Jose Mourinho on Liam Rosenior Suspending Enzo Fernandes: "You say Madrid is beautiful. Of course it is beautiful. Paris is beautiful. London is beautiful. But beauty does not win you titles. Mentality wins you titles." "When I was at Chelsea, my players did not speak about other clubs.
Why? Because they were too busy winning." "You want Real Madrid? Real Madrid is not a holiday destination. It is pressure. It is history. It is responsibility."
Fair enough, Jose.
04 Apr 2026 10:12:28
I personally think he was suspended, not because of saying he liked Madrid as a city or any of the other quotes. It was because he said "Under Enzo Maresca we had an identity." I think that's the part Liam and/or the sporting directors didn't like.
There is no evidence he is a bad apple in the dressing room, and I like his fiery temperament and wish others had the same.
04 Apr 2026 11:38:53
What do you do with him if Madrid doesn't come up with the 150m? Does this situation strengthen or weaken our position as a club trying to sell an asset?
Gone are the days of Roman sinking millions with no financial expectation. We've been fined this season and await another, as well as having a suspended transfer ban.
Bench him for Port Vale, speak in private, and sell him in the summer.
We're trying to get CL football, and Enzo can play a role in that. Liam is upset Enzo and Cucu aired their frustrations in public, and yet he does the same, and weakens our position to sell a player that is, frankly, already hugely overvalued.
04 Apr 2026 12:12:01
I agree, Melbourne. Sadly, Liam has not handled this well at all, and he looked a right tool in his presser talking about it.
I don't think I have ever seen a Chelsea gaffer look so out of his depth as this bloke, and we have had a few over the years.
04 Apr 2026 12:45:35
I agree with the position the club, and I assume the manager, has taken on Enzo. My surprise is, from the outside, Cucarella seems to have got away with it.
I also think LR did well in his press conference and answered the questions competently.
04 Apr 2026 13:34:45
Perception is a strange thing, Tom.
I can't watch an interview anymore without seeing him making a fool of himself in some way. Certainly, there must be some level of bias.
I didn't want him, gave him a chance (not much I guess you could argue), felt like things were looking good post the West Ham second half, and felt the players wanted to play for him.
Since then, I have seen the opposite and watched him talk about respecting the ball, etc.
Whatever happens for the rest of the season and the summer, let's just hope it's what's best for the club and next season progress is made.
04 Apr 2026 14:15:57
Melbourne, I certainly didn't want LR as our manager, but I think he deserves until the end of the season.
I'm happy to wait and see how it looks in June. I can't see what difference it makes if we wait until then.
04 Apr 2026 14:44:51
Ed25, I couldn't agree more. I wouldn't play Cucarella either. Sends a clear message to any other player. Shut up and get on with playing for club that pays your wages.
My theory/guess is as follows. The Enzo agent while negotiating for a new contract with Chelsea told his client to drop the RM bomb in an effort to pressure Chelsea into giving his client more money. If that is the case, I suggest Enzo gets a new agent.
04 Apr 2026 07:52:41
Ed025, I totally agree Cucarella should also be suspended.
As I've said before my guess is this could be a player mentioning another club while supposedly negotiating a new contract with his current club. I would also suggest that the players agent may well have thought this was a good tactical ploy! Of course I'm only guessing.
{Ed025's Note - it leaves a bad taste in the mouth Tom, player power and greedy scum bag agents are ruining the game mate..