Enzo Fernández to Chelsea: five secrets about the most expensive transfer in history for an Argentine footballer

The story behind the story. The transfer of Enzo Fernández of the Benfica to the Chelsea monopolized the covers of European and Argentine newspapers and quickly became a trend on the fringes of the Expiration day, as was known on the last day of the transfer market in the main championships of the Old Continent. In the midst of all this, as 23:59 on Tuesday approached, the ‘F5’ to update the portals and the accounts of specialized journalists multiplied.

Just one of them, the Italian Fabrizio Romano, who followed minute by minute the plot of the negotiation between the two clubs, revealed this Wednesday five secrets about the sixth most expensive transfer in football history and the highest payment for an Argentinian player.

Romano, who has nearly 14 million followers on his Twitter account, explained that around 8pm, four hours before the wire transfer deadline, the deal “nearly collapsed” due to failure to agree on payment terms.

There the intervention of Enzo Fernández himself, who recently turned 22, was fundamental, who sent messages to Rui Costa to express his desire not to miss this opportunity.

The one that emerged in River, now linked to the English club until June 2031, had once again pressed for the transfer and He was not called up for Tuesday’s match in which Benfica beat Arouca as visitors.

Nor had he trained alongside his teammates in Monday’s training session, in which he only made a few movements in the gym, and then chatted face to face with the coach. Roger Schmidtto whom he communicated his wish to be transferred.

Another interesting fact is that given the size of the amount that was used for the operation –121 million euros-, the owners of both clubs personally sat down at the negotiating table: on one side the president of Benfica the former footballer Rui Costa and on the other Todd Boehleywhich Chelsea acquired after the traumatic departure of Roman Abramovich.

There, on the table and as happened in the previous days, the round trips were constant, with the method of payment as the main obstacle, once Chelsea had already decided to disburse the 120 million euro release clause that appeared in the Argentine contract.

The terms of the payment, the six installments finally agreed and the 40 million pounds as an ‘advance’ They were the keys that made it possible to unlock a negotiation that seemed doomed to failure.

That Chelsea effort was based on the fact that I needed and wanted Enzo Fernández as soon as possible, without missing the opportunity and having to wait for next June. Hours earlier he had sold to the Italian jorginhomaster of his midfield, to the leader Arsenaltherefore the arrival of a handyman like the native of San Martín was more than mandatory.

His soccer duo

Enzo Fernández traveled on a charter flight from Lisbon to London this Wednesday and, possibly, could even have minutes next Friday when Chelsea host Fulham at the start of the Premier League 22nd date.

If one thing the midfielder has shown is his ability to adapt: ​​two games with the Argentina national team, coming on as a substitute, were enough for him to enter the World Cup list; He played as a “5” alone, accompanied by a midfielder, as an inside player and with more offensive responsibilities. always paid.

He has excellent space reading, timing to know when to accelerate and when to keep possession, and a mid-range shot which is vital for those who tend to stick to the edge of the box. Teams usually play at the pace he wants.

A detail to take into account is that his new coach Graham Potterit was the same who knew how to empower Alexis Mac Allister, bridging the gap, with characteristics similar to Fernández.

First at Brighton and now at Chelsea, Potter is constantly changing the structure of the game, but if we go to the names that will accompany him in the ‘Blues’, the man who came out of the River has all the credentials to be able to have fun and play his aesthetic game more beautiful.