Fernández finally flourishing with Chelsea as Benfica reunion awaits | Chelsea

Enzo Fernández is no stranger to the big stage. The midfielder took his chance when he broke through at the 2022 World Cup, earning a starting role for Argentina after coming off the bench to score a vital goal against Mexico in the group stage.

Fernández looked as if he had been in the team for years by the time Argentina beat France in the final. He was named young player of the tournament and inevitably became a target for several big clubs. It was not long before word was filtering out of Portugal that Chelsea and Liverpool were looking at signing the former River Plate midfielder in the January 2023 transfer window.

Chelsea’s fear was that Arsenal and Manchester City were planning to move for Fernández in the summer. Unwilling to miss out on a key target, the decision was made to pay above the going rate. Expectations rocketed when Fernández joined for £106.7m, breaking the British transfer record. He walked into a troubled club. Seasoned players wanted out, Graham Potter was close to being sacked and there was a lot of pressure on Fernández because of his fee, even though he had moved to a new league halfway through season and had made only 25 starts for Benfica.

Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Potter in the summer of 2023, often talked about Fernández’s journey moving too quickly. He was sympathetic in relation to his compatriot’s workload and wanted him to improve his physique. Fernández produced flashes of quality but his partnership with Moisés Caicedo often malfunctioned. Soon there were suggestions that Chelsea were better without Fernández, who missed the end of the 2023-24 season after a hernia operation.

Yet Benfica will encounter a much tougher version of Fernández when they play Chelsea in the last 16 of the Club World Cup on Saturday. The 24-year-old is in excellent shape before facing his former side for the first time. Fernández emerged as a leader last season and has added a new edge to his game, flourishing since Enzo Maresa adjusted his role, pushing him forward and challenging him to score more.

There was a point when it seemed Fernández was being eased out because of the emergence of Roméo Lavia as a deep-lying partner for Caicedo. There were whispers that the Argentinian world champion was in danger of becoming a very expensive reserve. Nobody questioned Maresca when he put Fernández on the bench against Liverpool last October and started without him in four consecutive league games. The statistics suggested it was the right decision. Fernández had scored seven goals since joining Chelsea, his tackle success rate was 39%, his passing had declined and he was not creating big chances.

But he responded. Fernández, named after the former Uruguay great Enzo Francescoli, set up Chelsea’s equaliser after coming on against Arsenal in early November. He returned to the starting lineup against Leicester and provided a goal and an assist. “I am trying to convince Enzo that attacking midfielders have to arrive in the box,” Maresca said.

The Leicester game marked a shift. The assumption with Fernández when he joined was that he was a conductor; a direct replacement for Jorginho. Maresca sees it differently. If Fernández does not have the mobility to be a driving box-to-box midfielder and is wasted screening a defence, then ask him to do less. Contain his role and put him in the right areas. Playing higher, Fernández has turned into a box-crashing midfielder. No Chelsea player has more goal involvement in 2025 than his 14. Fernández has been their best player at the Club World Cup so far. He came off the bench to make a late run and score when Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC in their opening game. There was a reminder, too, of Fernández’s ability to pick a pass when he set up Liam Delap’s goal against Esperance. “He’s told me to run when he gets the ball,” Delap said.

The challenge now is for Fernández to offer more in the biggest games. Eight of those 14 goal involvements have come against lowly Conference League opponents and in the Club World Cup. A headed winner against Tottenham in April and a smart finish to open the scoring against Liverpool last month offer evidence that Fernández can thrive in pressure moments. They were big goals in Chelsea’s push for Champions League qualification.

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Fernández is in a much better place than when he headed to the US for Chelsea’s pre-season tour last year. He was a disgraced figure back then, after being filmed taking part in a racist chant after Argentina’s triumph in the Copa América. Reintegrating him was a challenge. Maresca was criticised for making Fernández captain on the opening weekend of the season.

Wounds have been healed, though. Fernández was forgiven after apologising to his teammates. The hope is that he has matured. Chelsea are a young team. Fernández is a competitor. He plays with a snarl. He does not shy away from confronting opponents.

He has stepped up in recent months. Much of the focus after Chelsea fought back from 1-0 down to beat Real Betis in the Conference League final was on Cole Palmer’s second-half brilliance but it should not be forgotten that it was Fernández who ghosted into the box to score the equaliser. More of that and people will start talking about the new Frank Lampard.