Benfica's Roger Schmidt lashes out at Enzo Fernandez over record-breaking move to Chelsea
World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, who was Chelsea's No 1 January target, signed for a sensational 121 million-euros contract on an an eight-and-a-half year deal through to June 2031.
FollowBenfia's boss Roger Schmidt has been quick to express his opinions over Enzo Fernandez's British record transfer to Chelsea. The 22-year-old World Cup winner, Chelsea's top target in January, agreed to a remarkable 107 million pounds (121 million euros) contract with an eight-and-a-half year extension to June 2031.
At one point, it appeared that Chelsea would not be able to complete the deal for the Argentinean, but all parties made progress shortly before the deadline of 11 p.m.
Benfica left Fernandez out of their squad to face Arouca on Tuesday - which they went on to win 3-0 - and the Argentina international also missed training on Monday. Speaking after the game, Schmidt was ready to move on without the midfield star.
"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," the Benfica boss said.
"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 into it," Schmidt added.
Schmidt claimed Chelsea was being disrespectful in their pursuit of Fernandez earlier in the window and insisted they had no intention of paying his exorbitant buyout price.Â
Losing their star midfielder, who produced the second-most assists in the Primeira Liga (five) while also leading the league in passes completed (1,432) and passes completed (372) in the final third, is a cruel blow for Benfica.
Following the clubs' timely completion of the required paperwork, Benfica announced the deal early on Wednesday morning. Fernandez was also deleted from the Portuguese club's roster on the website.
The Blues changed their Twitter bio to an Argentine flag and a trophy emoji to anticipate an announcement. Chelsea has already spent more than 323 million pounds in January with the acquisition. Jorginho, a midfielder for Chelsea, left on a busy day at Stamford Bridge to join London rivals Arsenal for 12 million pounds.
