Sneijder, without a filter against Enzo Fernández: “100 million euros for a player who walks”

Former Dutch footballer Wesley sneijder he was very critical Enzo Fernández for its performance, after the removal of the Chelsea in the quarterfinals of Champions League after losing 4-0 on aggregate against real Madrid.

Those are not good times that the Blues are going through. To the disappointment in the Champions League we must add a pathetic performance in the Premier League, where they rank 11th, with 39 points, against a galaxy of leaders and 10 from next year’s European Cup qualifiers.

The situation is catastrophic in sporting but also economic terms because the club has spent a lot of money on reinforcements but their ability to recover the investment is seriously at risk if they fail to generate income.

In this context, the club has decided to sack manager Graham Potter and his replacement, Frank Lampard, has not yet managed to change the face of the team. The former club idol will be in charge until the end of the season, when a replacement takes over. Among the names that seemed to take over was that of Marcelo Gallardo.

But returning to Chelsea and the fateful night against Real Madrid, here’s what Sneijder had to say about Enzo’s attitude on the pitch: “If they’ve signed you as a player for at least 100 million you can hope you run like a maniac, right? But he walked You see Enzo, a €100m signing, walking a bit while Gallagher runs alongside him. This can’t happen.”

The former Dutch footballer, remembered for having played in clubs like Ajax, Real Madrid or Inter Milan, had no qualms about questioning the performance of the Argentine, who could do little in a team full of brilliant numbers but without clear ideas game.

“I look at a guy like that and wonder, what can the owner do? Nothing. I’d call that boy to a meeting tomorrow. I don’t even think he’s a great footballer,” Sneijder fired, unfiltered.

And he added, making it clear that Enzo is not to his liking: “Great things have been said about what he did for Lionel Messi at the World Cup. I thought he would also do it at Chelsea, but clearly it is a long way from that.”

The measure that Chelsea has taken with the squad

With the arrival at the club of the American consortium led by Todd Boehly last year, a clause was introduced in the contracts of the players – new signings and those who have renewed -, which would lead to salary cuts in the event of qualification for the Champions League, as reported from The Telegraph.

This will not, however, affect footballers who had already signed their contracts in Roman Abramovich’s era as the entity’s top president, such as Kepa Arrizabalaga, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic.

For these players, the clauses in their contracts include bonuses for winning titles, but not deductions for not qualifying for European competitions, as is the case with Chelsea this season, where it is almost impossible to reach the Europa League or the Conference League.

In total, Chelsea have signed or renewed 19 players since Boehly’s arrival, including César Azpilicueta, Enzo Fernández, Mykhailo Mudryk and Reece James.

To try to ease the financial pressure on a club that has spent more than 600 million in two transfer window windows, the ‘Blues’ have offered long contracts, with salaries amortized over different years, but are forced to release the players next summer for even the score and not face any sanctions from UEFA or the Premier League.

Among the options to lighten the bills is N’Golo Kanté, whose contract expires this year and has not yet closed the renewal, while Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ruben Loftus-Cheek close their commitment to Chelsea in June 2024 and the club can try to make money this summer before walking away for free.

There is also the case of Joao Félix, who, if an agreement for the transfer of the Portuguese with Atlético de Madrid is not closed, would return with the rojiblancos in July.