Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea player dropped for Port Vale and Man City games over Real Madrid’s comments

Liam Rosenior says Real Madrid goalkeeper Enzo Fernandez will miss Chelsea’s next two games because of comments he made about his future.

Fernandez will miss Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale and next Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City, pending. Sky Sports.

But Rosenior revealed that no disciplinary action will be taken Marc Cucurella after he criticized the team’s recruitment strategy and questioned the exit of Enzo Maresca in discussions about the international break.

“I spoke with Enzo an hour ago. We have made a decision – he will not be there for tomorrow’s game and he will not be there for Manchester City,” said Rosenior in his press conference on Friday.

“It’s sad to say that. What I will say about Enzo is that, as far as him as a person is concerned, I have no bad words to say.

“But the line was crossed according to our tradition. We had to make a penalty.”

Fernandez has been repeatedly linked with a summer move to Real and has cast doubt on his future at Chelsea following their crushing Champions League last-16 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports. ESPN Argentina “I don’t know” when asked if he will still be in the team next year.

“I’m focused now. Then the World Cup will come, so we’ll see after that,” he added.

Fernandez continued his time with Argentina during the international break, telling Marcos Giles, an Argentine media personality, “I like Madrid a lot – it’s like Buenos Aires”.

Asked if he would consider staying in Madrid, Fernandez said: “Yes, of course.”

Rosenior added about Fernandez: “First, as a player, a person and a player, I have a lot of respect for Enzo Fernandez for what he has achieved in his career.

“He’s upset because he wanted Chelsea to succeed this year. He still wants that, and we can still do it.

“Regarding the decision, we agree on every decision we make, so it was a joint decision.

“The door is not closed to Enzo – that is very important. It is a penalty. You have to protect this team and this culture, and according to that, the line was crossed during the international break.”

What is Fernandez’s contract status? Can Real sign him?

Chelsea’s assistant manager is under contract until 2032, and the Blues would only consider an offer in excess of £100m for one of their key players.

Fernandez is not considered a target by Chelsea, who plan to sign a new player this summer.

Asked if the 25-year-old was happy at Chelsea, Rosenior replied: “I can’t speak for him.

“What I know is that when he was on the pitch, even when he was losing at Everton, there was no commitment to his work.

“As for speaking on his behalf and what he wants in his future, it’s not my business to talk about.”

Real Madrid are planning to sign a midfielder this summer, with the likes of Fernandez and Manchester City’s Rodri among their targets.

It remains to be seen whether they can spend more than £100m on Fernandez when cheaper options become available.

Chelsea signed Fernandez from Benfica for a British record £106.8m three years ago.

He was close to former Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca, who left the club amid controversy earlier this year.

Rosenior: Cucurella should not have gone public with criticism

Fernandez was not the only Chelsea player to speak out during the international break, with Cucurella criticizing the club’s policy of signing young players.

The defender, who spoke while on duty in Spain, also blamed Chelsea’s recent problems with Maresca’s departure.

The Italian’s replacement, Rosenior, has revealed that he has spoken to Cucurella about his views, but is still available for selection and could be captain on Saturday after considering the Spaniard’s name among the options to take the mantle against Port Vale.

However, Rosenior said Cucurella should not have spoken publicly and should have expressed his views privately with the group.

“[I had a] Great chat with Marc yesterday. Half an hour in my office,” he said.

“It’s a shame, what we’re trying to do here in my time, I’ve only been here for three months.

“I said to them [the players] from day one, if they have a problem with how we do things, they will talk to me, and talk to the sports managers.

“My disappointment in Marc’s interview is where it came from. I think he should have spoken to us first about the things he felt. I want the players to feel that they can speak freely and honestly for the sake of the football club.

“And the talks we had with Reece James, that’s why Reece signed a new contract, because he believes in where we’re going. And as a football team, we know we need to improve, myself included, and we actually know what we’re going to do this summer to achieve those goals.”

When asked why Cucurella did not speak to the group before, Rosenior answered: “Everyone knows Marc Cucurella, he knows his character. He is a great member, he is passionate, he wants to do well. He made long interviews where he spoke with passion; he spoke his opinion.

“Yesterday, when I was in the office with him for half an hour, it was to remind him that you can come and talk to me, you can be honest with me, and you can be honest with the team about what you want. That takes time.

“I’ve been here for two and a half months, we’ve played 20 games, so building those relationships takes time.

“But Marc is fully committed, he wants to be here, he’s explained a lot to me, and he really believes in where we’re going.”

Players with PL experience should be watched this summer

Chelsea will be busy in the transfer market this summer, with signings expected to include players with proven Premier League experience.

They will sign a midfielder and a midfielder, while the signing of a goalkeeper cannot be ruled out – even if that is the case. Mike Penders returning from his loan at our sister club Strasbourg.

Strasbourg first Emmanuel Emegha and a Sporting Lisbon player Geovany Quenda have already signed deals to join Chelsea this summer.

Rosenior admitted on Friday that the club needed to bring in “players with emotional stability” after Cucurella’s criticism of the club’s lack of experience.

“Bringing in players with emotional stability, bringing in good players, that in tough times can understand what it takes to win in those tough times,” Rosenior said.

“We’ve had good discussions with the owners and support managers about what we’re doing in the summer. We’ve also had discussions with some of the players at the club, who are really excited about the direction we’re going in.”

When asked how confusing Fernandez and Cucurella’s comments have been, the former Hull manager responded: “It’s not a good thing. I think a lot of this is because we had a very difficult, very difficult 10 days. Probably the most difficult 10 days in my career as a player or coach.

“I will go back to the first game against PSG. The belief of the team and what we were doing, the performance was high and it all fell in 15 minutes and there was a lot of emotional rejection from that game, which I think fell into the next three games we played.

“Why was there so much rejection? Because the players were very motivated and had a lot of faith that we could do something very special in the Champions League this year.

“I feel like it’s not just Enzo’s attitude, but Cucu’s communication comes from that as well.

“In fact it comes from a good place where they want to do well; they want the team to succeed. But in those moments, I think we need more emotional stability as a group of players, from me as the head coach, as a football team, so that we don’t react the way we did to the obstacles that we had.”