Find out “How much did Chelsea pay for Enzo Fernandez?” Chelsea have signed midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record £106.8m; deal to sign the 22-year-old surpasses Manchester City’s £100m for Jack Grealish 18 months ago; the Argentine has signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have signed midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record £106.8m
The deal for the Argentine surpasses the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months ago.
The 22-year-old, who only joined Benfica last summer for around £10m, has signed an eight-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge to keep him at the club until the summer of 2031.
Chelsea are yet to formally announce Fernandez’s signing, but they posted a teaser video on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
Coming soon. ??? pic.twitter.com/z5uaH5DB44
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 1, 2023
Chelsea had been in talks to sign the World Cup winner throughout January, but Benfica had refused to do business unless the Blues paid his €120m release clause.
But Chelsea agreed a deal of €121m at 9.15pm on Deadline Day after 12 hours of talks led by Chelsea’s co-owner Behdad Eghbali from London.
How much did Chelsea pay for Enzo Fernandez?
Fernandez was left out of Benfica’s squad for their game against Arouca on Tuesday night, with the 22-year-old undergoing a medical in Portugal ahead of his switch to Stamford Bridge.
According to Portuguese broadcaster SIC, Fernandez will fly to the UK on Wednesday morning, with a private jet scheduled to leave Lisbon airport at 10.20am.
Fernandez will help to replace Jorginho, who joined Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal on Deadline Day in a £12m deal.
“Fernandez’s attributes make it clear how he can help. Still only halfway through his first season with Benfica, he has racked up the second-most assists in the Primeira Liga, and created 30 chances for his team-mates – some of them particularly eye-catching, and a stunning pinpoint set-up for Goncalo Ramos against Sporting earlier this month perhaps the pick of the bunch.
“It is that kind of playmaking potential which had Manchester City and Real Madrid interested in bringing him in from boyhood side River Plate last summer before he settled on a move to Lisbon.
“No one in the Portuguese top flight has made more passes than the Argentine, and if he does prove to replace Jorginho at Stamford Bridge, he will also provide something extra in the final third where he tops the charts for passes too.
“Should Chelsea want to play with a midfield two, he would offer a better option there too. Fernandez has already taken responsibility without the ball at Benfica, slotting into an anchorman role regularly as required. He has been one of the league’s top tacklers, and only 10 players across the division have won the ball back more in the middle third despite his considerable output further up the pitch.”
Enzo Fernandez Wife- Biography & Wiki
Fernandez was born in San Martin, Buenos Aires, to Raul and Marta; he has four brothers: Seba, Rodri, Maxi, and Gonza. He began playing football at an early age, for a local club named Club La Recova, before joining River Plate in 2006, at the age of five. Fernandez was promoted to the club’s first team by manager Marcelo Gallardo on 27 January 2019, in a 3-1 home loss to Patronato in the Primera Division, albeit remaining on the bench, after thirteen years of climbing through the ranks. On March 4, 2020, he made his first-team debut, replacing Santiago Sosa in the 75th minute of a 3-0 loss against L.D.U. Quito in the Copa Libertadores. Keep reading if you are looking for Enzo Fernandez wife, wiki, or biography and need to find out more about his personal life, career, and achievements.
Early Life & Career: – Fernández was chosen by Argentina U18s manager Esteban Solari to represent his country in the 2019 COTIF Tournament in Spain on July 24, 2019. Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni summoned him up for two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay on November 3, 2021. Manager Hernán Crespo gave him his Halcón debut on September 18 in a 3-0 win against Delfn in the Copa Libertadores. Despite not being a starter at first, his efforts impressed his management, and he finally gained a spot on the team, assisting the club in winning the 2020 Copa Sudamericana, starting in the 3-0 victory over fellow Argentine side Lans in the final, and winning his first professional trophy.
River Plate made an agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Fernández on June 23, 2022, for a €10 million price for 75% of his economic rights plus €8 million in add-ons, but with the player remaining at River Plate until the completion of the club’s Copa Libertadores campaign. Following River Plate’s elimination from the Copa Libertadores in the round of 16, Benfica announced the trade on 14 July, receiving the number 13 shirt previously worn by club great Eusébio.
How much did Chelsea spend in January?
Following the arrival of Fernandez, Chelsea spent £323.3m in January. Here are the deals the Blues made:
- Benoit Badiashile – Monaco, £35m
- David Datro Fofana – Molde, undisclosed (reported £10m deal)
- Andrey Santos – Vasco da Gama, undisclosed (reported £18m deal)
- Joao Felix – Atletico Madrid, £9.7m loan
- Mykhailo Mudryk – Shakhtar Donetsk, £88.5m
- Noni Madueke – PSV Eindhoven, £29m
- Malo Gusto – Lyon, £26.3m
- Enzo Fernandez – Benfica, £106.8m
Chelsea have splashed over £323m in this January transfer window after completing a British record deal for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez – so how are they able to spend such huge sums and stay within Financial Fair Play rules?
The UEFA FFP regulations are designed to limit excessive spending and there are also Premier League rules which put a cap on the losses a club can suffer over a three-year period. Large fines or points deductions can be dished out as punishment to clubs which don’t adhere to the rules.
But with the Blues agreeing a £106.8m transfer for Fernandez, new Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly will have overseen a spend £600m since the takeover in May 2022 – and they appear to have stayed within the guidelines.
Benfica manager rips into Enzo Fernandez after completing British record move to Chelsea
Benfica manager Roger Schmidt didn’t hold back when he was asked about Enzo Fernandez’s record-breaking transfer to Chelsea.
After weeks of intense speculation surrounding his future at the Estadio da Luz, World Cup winner Fernandez completed a British record £106.8 million to big spenders Chelsea on transfer deadline day.
It was a long day for Chelsea‘s co-owner Behdad Eghbali, who spent 20 consecutive hours negotiating a deal that includes a reported six instalments.
The highly-rated 22-year-old midfielder, who lifted the Young Player of the Tournament award at last year’s World Cup, has penned an eight-and-a-half year deal at Stamford Bridge.
It’s a transfer that has got plenty of people talking, including Benfica boss Roger Schmidt, who reacted to the deal after their 3-0 win against Arouca on Tuesday night.
He said: “It’s always difficult to lose a good player in the winter market. but today we showed that we are a good team without him, that we are capable of playing good football without him, that the players are focused on getting the most points, to be champions.
“Benfica is much bigger than a player. We just need players who are happy to play for Benfica, who are passionate.
We had a player who wanted to leave and a club willing to pay the clause, we couldn’t do anything. We accepted and looked ahead.”
You can see the full clip from Schmidt’s post-match press conference below.
? "Benfica is much bigger than one single player. We need players who are happy to play for Benfica."
Benfica manager Roger Schmidt reacted to Enzo Fernandez' transfer to Chelsea pic.twitter.com/pExujsBnyF
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 1, 2023
Schmidt was very vocal about the move throughout the transfer window. In the first week of January, he said Benfica were being “disrespected” by another club in their pursuit of Fernandez.
Although he didn’t name the club involved, Chelsea and Liverpool were being heavily linked with a move at the time.
“There is a club that wants him, they tried to attract him, but they know that they can only have him if they pay the clause,” Schmidt said.
“It’s disrespectful to all of us, to Benfica, they’re driving the player crazy, they pretend they want to pay the clause and then they want to negotiate.”
Schmidt initially ruled out Fernandez leaving the Portuguese club last month despite leaving the Argentine out of their win over Portimonense on January 6.
“The issue with Enzo is closed, there is no issue anymore,” he said. “He’s our player, he’s in a very good condition, he’s training well, he’s happy, so he’s part of the squad and a key player. I think I’ve already said everything about him.”
But of course, Graham Potter’s side swooped to seal a British record £106.8 million deal, although judging by his latest press conference, it doesn’t seem Schmidt is overly bothered about Fernandez’s departure.
Thoughts on the signing?
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