The curious case of Britain's most expensive footballer, Enzo Fernandez

The record breaker

In a summer where breaking the £100m barrier has now become the norm in the Premier League transfer window, Fernandez's move epitomised the eye-watering spending by England's top-flight sides. 

Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson were signed to become the most expensive British players in history, while Spurs went all out by laying out three figures for Sandro Tonali and £85m for Savio, who had previously returned just two goals in 56 games for Manchester City. 

It's a far cry from 1992, when Alan Shearer was signed for a then-record £3.2m, and Blackburn were recruiting the best marksman in the country. Who knows, with inflation, what he'd be worth in today's prices, given what we've seen this summer.

But this isn't a first for Enzo Fernandez. In January 2023, after impressing for Argentina during the World Cup win in Qatar, Chelsea paid a record fee to bring the tournament's best young player to Stamford Bridge. 

Even then, it was seen as an eyebrow-raising amount of money and in the three and a half years since, it's difficult to justify why his price has actually inflated. 

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Down at the Bridge 

Without wanting to do Fernandez a disservice, because he'll be remembered fondly in West London, but for someone who has commanded such a ridiculous amount of money, he's not even been the best player at the club during his time there. 

His CV will boast a Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup medal with Chelsea, but this is a player who has never made the league's team of the season, never been named the club's (or league's) best player, and for a substantial amount of time wasn't even first choice. 

When Liverpool paid the same fee for Alexander Isak a year ago, there was some merit in breaking the bank. The Swede was one of the deadliest marksmen in Europe and had proved at Newcastle to be a world-class finisher who would be able to take it to the next level at Anfield. 

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The fact that the move hasn't quite worked out like that is irrelevant, because the standing of Isak at the time of his transfer was vastly superior to that of Fernandez, yet they've commanded the same price tag. 

31 goals and 30 assists in 170 games is a credible outlay for a central midfielder, but they aren't numbers worth breaking the bank for. 

Then add in the 25-year-old's somewhat questionable chip on his shoulder at times, too, and the curious case of his value is even more clouded. 

There's no doubt that his bit of attitude plays into his game, but there have been times when comments off the pitch have got Fernandez in trouble with fans and brought Chelsea unnecessary aggro. Is that what you want to spend £125 million on? 

City's new toy 

Those issues are now, of course, Manchester City's to solve, and a key factor in the player's move would have been reuniting with Enzo Maresca, who he played his best football with at Chelsea. 

Equally, his arrival will add a touch of arrogance and nastiness to a team who seem to be lacking that in the midfield, especially after the departure of Rodri. 

But what will they get for their money? Fernandez isn't the defensive shield that the Spanish star was, nor is he as acute and adaptable as Bernardo Silva, who's also now exited. 

As a deep-lying playmaker, he is clever in recycling possession and can disrupt play, while his late runs in the box will be very useful as a goalscoring threat from the middle. 
 

Alex Pantling - The FA/The FA via Getty Images

Yet, although he is very good at a lot of things, the 25-year-old still lacks that undeniable factor or attribute that makes him a footballer who's twice been the subject of record-breaking deals. 

Would Arsenal, PSG, Barcelona or even Real Madrid swap one of their midfield names for Fernandez? It's unlikely. Yet, Manchester City will now try to rebalance a new engine room with their latest acquisition at the hub of it. 

It may pay off, and the move may well be the making of the Argentinian, but history tells us that he is yet to really show; why not once, but twice, teams have broken the bank on Enzo Fernandez. 

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