Enzo Fernández was booed by sections of the Chelsea support as he returned to Stamford Bridge during the club’s 3-1 pre-season victory over Real Sociedad on Saturday.
The reaction came less than 24 hours after Chelsea’s self-imposed transfer deadline passed, with the club now expecting to keep the midfielder despite his interest in leaving earlier in the summer.
Chelsea produced an encouraging performance under new manager Xabi Alonso, with João Pedro continuing his impressive pre-season form by scoring twice and Morgan Rogers finding the net on his first appearance for the club.
But Fernández’s reception overshadowed much of the evening.
The Argentina international had been keen to join Real Madrid earlier in the summer before the Spanish club ended their interest. His representatives later held talks with Manchester City, although no offer was made to meet Chelsea’s £120m valuation before Friday’s 17:00 BST deadline.
According to BBC Sport, some Chelsea supporters made their feelings known even before kick-off.
Fernández was booed by a section of the crowd when his name was announced around 45 minutes before the match.
The stadium announcer subsequently opted not to read out the names of the substitutes shortly before kick-off, but there were audible boos when Fernández came onto the pitch in the 62nd minute.
The response was divided, however, with other supporters chanting the midfielder’s name.
There was also a notable show of support from within the Chelsea team. When Reece James was substituted, he handed the captain’s armband to Fernández, reinforcing the midfielder’s position within the squad.
Fernández’s every touch was greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers, while some supporters even celebrated when he was fouled.
The reaction comes after a summer in which Fernández publicly expressed his desire to move to Real Madrid. His agent, Javier Pastore, also claimed that the midfielder is underpaid.
Chelsea now appear set to retain Fernández, at least for the time being, and Alonso’s decision to bring him on and allow him to wear the armband suggested the midfielder remains an important part of his plans.
Fernández could face further scrutiny once the Premier League season begins, particularly because of the controversy surrounding his celebrations and social-media activity after Argentina’s World Cup semi-final victory over England in 2022.
Manchester City could still revive their interest before the Premier League transfer deadline on 1 September, but for now Fernández remains a Chelsea player.
The challenge for both Fernández and Alonso will be to ensure the transfer saga does not become a lasting distraction as Chelsea prepare for the new season.
