Enzo Fernandez has assured rival clubs that Chelsea will recover from a challenging season that resulted in a 12th-place finish on the table.
This marked Chelsea’s poorest placement in over 25 years, as the club experienced a turbulent season under the guidance of four different managers.
Following the dismissal of Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, a club legend, took charge before being replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Additionally, it was the inaugural season under the ownership of the Clearlake consortium, led by Todd Boehly.
Despite significant financial investments amounting to nearly 600 million euros, the team’s performances fell short of expectations.
Among the many arrivals was Fernandez, who was scooped for a British record fee from Benfica in January. The midfielder had just starred for Lionel Messi’s Argentina as they won the World Cup in Qatar.
Admittedly, the former Benfica star was among the brightest sparks of Chelsea’s otherwise dull season. The 22-year-old has sent out a message of optimism ahead of next season.
“We are moving forward with Chelsea that although the first semester was not as we all wanted, we know that this is a serious project and with people who are looking for the best for the club and this year, we will show it!” he said on his official social media handles.
Fernandez will come back to a fourth different manager with his international compatriot Mauricio Pochettino poised to take over. According to his father, Raul, he is expected to ask the manager to play him further forward rather than in a holding midfield position.
“My son wants to be a champion! I think we will see Enzo play further forward! He was going to ask Pochettino to play further advanced.” as quoted by Chelsea Spot.
How Pochettino could line up
N’Golo Kante’s exit on a free transfer was confirmed by the club, with Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly expected to follow him to Saudi Arabia. Matteo Kovacic is on the verge of joining Manchester City, while Kai Havertz is set to dump one side of London for the other.
Under different circumstances, all these players were guaranteed starters at Chelsea. This begs the question: how will Pochettino approach next season? Does he have enough firepower to challenge for titles on multiple fronts or will he need reinforcements?
Keeping in mind the Argentine’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, Sports Brief takes a look at how the Blues could possibly look next season.