CHELSEA ISSUE EMPHATIC ANSWER TO REAL MADRID OVER ENZO FERNáNDEZ
Chelsea deny rumours of selling Enzo Fernández to Real Madrid, insisting the midfielder is a crucial part of their long-term plans. The club views him as a future leader.
Midfielder Enzo Fernandez is crucial to Chelsea's long-term plan, and the club has emphatically denied rumours that he could be sold to Real Madrid.
Sources close to the Blues stress that Fernandez is still a key component of Chelsea's strategy under their present administration, despite ongoing connections to Los Blancos. The Blues are happy to keep him at Stamford Bridge.
Fernandez has been a reliable midfield player for Chelsea since joining from Benfica in January 2023 for a then-British record of £106.8 million. He has demonstrated his remarkable passing range, hard work ethic, and tactical awareness.
Club officials have refuted allegations that Chelsea would consider bids for the World Cup winner, highlighting his significance to the team's goals.
According to a source inside the club, "Enzo is essential to what we are creating here." "The club views him as a leader for years to come and is happy with his services."
Fernandez has long been a target for Real Madrid, and the player is amenable to the prospect of playing for the Spanish powerhouse someday.
Any prospective future relocation to the Bernabeu would, however, be quite expensive. According to sources, Real Madrid is not willing to pay Chelsea's asking price of at least £120 million for Fernandez.
The cost of Real Madrid's Chelsea raid
Given their present midfield depth with players like Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, the La Liga powerhouses are reluctant to spend that much money on any player and are not willing to explore a deal for Fernández at that price.
Fernandez is still committed to Chelsea, where he is a key player in their pursuit of both domestic and European glory.
The Blues need to retain players like Fernandez if they want to regain their place among Europe's best.
Whether Chelsea's determination to repel attention from Madrid or other suitors will be made clear in the upcoming months.
According to insiders, however, Fernandez is and will continue to be a vital member of Chelsea as they aim to contend for titles on several fronts under Enzo Maresca.
Maresca could be a target for Madrid in the future, but the London team would have to make a huge offer before they would even entertain selling the midfield player.
The 24-year-old Fernandez has started all ten of Chelsea's games this season (in all competitions), scoring three goals and dishing out one assist.
In a recent interview, Maresca stated, "We are really satisfied with Enzo [Fernandez]." He has played as an offensive midfielder in 90% of our games, and I believe he excels in this role.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
_1777913525.webp)
Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
Must Read
