Last week, while on international duty with the Argentina squad, Enzo stated in an interview, "I want to live in Madrid. It's a beautiful city; it reminds me of Buenos Aires".
According to manager Rosenior, Enzo's public "flirting" with Real Madrid went too far. Despite his reputation for leniency, Rosenior felt compelled to discipline the midfielder, who was born in 2001.
"I spoke with Enzo an hour ago", the 41-year-old coach said at a press conference on the afternoon of 3/4. "He will not feature in the FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale on 4/4, nor in the match against Man City on 12/4. It was disappointing to hear Enzo make those comments. I have no intention of criticizing him personally, but a line was crossed, considering the club's culture and what we are trying to build".
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Midfielder Enzo Fernandez during the 0-3 loss to Everton on 22/3. *Photo: Reuters*
Enzo had previously been consistently rumored to want to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid. He had left his future open after Chelsea's 2-8 aggregate loss to PSG in the Champions League round of 16. At that time, Enzo responded "I don't know" when asked by ESPN Argentina if he would remain at the club next season. "I'm just focused on the present, then the World Cup. After that, we'll see what happens".
Rosenior respects Enzo as a player and his achievements. He also empathizes with his player's disappointment that Chelsea has not performed as expected this year. However, the manager and the board agreed to penalize Enzo. "The door is not closed for him; this is simply a punishment to protect the team's culture", he stated.
The English coach declined to comment on whether Enzo is happy at Chelsea. "I cannot speak for him. What I know is that when he is on the field, even in the loss to Everton, Enzo plays with full commitment. As for his future and personal desires, that is not my concern", Rosenior said.
Enzo joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 on a contract worth nearly 142 million USD and is currently under contract until 2032. He was promoted to the team's leadership group one year later, despite a controversy involving a video of himself and his Argentina teammates singing lyrics perceived as having a racist message towards the French national team.
That video was described by French teammate Wesley Fofana as "uncontrolled racism". Nevertheless, not long after, following public and private apologies to Fofana and other teammates, Enzo was still given the vice-captain's armband.
On the field, Enzo is a key player for the Stamford Bridge club, featuring in 30 out of 31 Premier League matches this season and scoring 8 goals. However, the British newspaper Telegraph reported that many Chelsea players are unhappy with the midfielder's frequent on-field shouting at teammates. Despite this, Rosenior dismissed rumors of internal discord.
Chelsea has recently lost four consecutive matches across all competitions, been eliminated from the Champions League, and dropped to 6th place in the Premier League.
*Hoang Thong compiled*
