Enzo Fernández towards Chelsea: he greeted Benfica with great emotion and left a stick to the press

THE Chelsea confirmed this Tuesday evening the signing of the Argentine world champion Enzo Fernándezfrom Benficafor a British football record fee of £106.8m (€121.3m, $131.6m).

The 22-year-old, whose arrival at Stamford Bridge had been announced by the Portuguese club, has reached an agreement for eight and a half seasons.

Chelsea made it official on their official website: “Enzo Fernández is a blue! The Argentinian midfielder has completed this transfer from Benfica to Chelsea.”

This Wednesday Enzo will travel to London to start living his experience in British football. Meanwhile, he left a message to the Benfica fans, a club in which he immediately managed to distinguish himself, which granted him an opportunity in Argentina national team and then the chance to play and win the Qatar World Cupwhere he was chosen as the best youth footballer of the competition.

“Molto obrigado Benfiquistas. We wanted to thank my family for all the affection received in these 5 months, I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world”, begins Enzo’s message, with the corresponding mentions in this type of situation but with a line dedicated to the local press.

“Enjoy every moment to the fullest and always give your best. Don’t let the press stain what we’ve built together because it was something wonderful that I never imagined,” adds Enzo.

The comment has to do with Portugal’s reluctance to approve of his departure for England. Is that like Chelsea, Benfica are classified in the round of 16 Champions League and with good expectations to go through to the round: they face Bruges from Belgium, one of the most accessible rivals of that stage.

The departure of Enzo, a great figure in the team led by Roger SchmidtNot only does the level of their squad drop significantly, but they also strengthen a direct rival in the competition (Chelsea go against Borussia Dortmund).

This explains the unease of the DT, who after learning of the transfer declared: “We talked about it (with Rui Costa, president of the club). The deal is done, it’s part of football, but what matters is Benfica. I won’t talk about players who are no longer around”.

And he added: “Benfica are much bigger than any player. We need players who are happy to play as a team. If a player decides by himself that he wants to leave and a club pays the clause, we can’t do anything“.

Enzo wanted to put aside the dispute and preferred to focus on thanking his teammates and Benfica staff, including his now former coach, Schmidt.

“Thanks to all the staff who work too hard to make the institution much bigger than it is. Thanks to my colleagues for always treating me in the best way and making me feel at home. Grateful to the management of the club and especially Roger Schmidt, to all your work staff for your daily trust and respect, I was very happy. Thank you BenficaI will always carry them in my heart,” concluded Fernández, a few hours before wearing the Chelsea shirt for the first time.