"He was always a winner" - Chelsea star's father admits his son is frustrated by club’s struggles
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez's father Don Raul has admitted his son has grown frustrated with the club's topsy-turvy form.
Fernandez arrived at Stamford Bridge in January 2023 in a £106.8 million move from Benfica. This broke the British transfer record at the time and expectations were high.
However, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner joined a Chelsea side that have been in a spot of bother. They finished last season 12th in the Premier League, failing to qualify for Europe.
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed Blues boss this past summer and the Blues have still been in a period of transition. This has left them floundering in mid-table in the Premier League, failing to get a consistent run of wins under their belt.
Don Raul gave his take on the situation and highlighted that his son wasn't used to such a troublesome period. He said (via SportsWitness):
"He feels a bit frustrated because he was always a winner, so going through these moments is not easy. I tell him to stay calm, don’t read social media, keep training and things will get better."
Fernandez will play his first final with the west Londoners next month after they booked their place in the Carabao Cup final. Pochettino's men will battle Liverpool at Wembley on February 25.
Don Raul alluded to this when explaining how he tries to keep Fernandez's spirits up:
"So much so that they are going to play in the final of one of the cups in England against Liverpool. Chelsea are in a moment of transition, training with young players, but I tell them to be patient, things will get better. It’s a young team that needs to adapt."
Fernandez has been a regular under Pochettino this season, making 26 appearances across competitions. The Argentina international has scored five goals and provided one assist.
The former River Plate youngster is part of an extremely youthful Blues squad. They fielded their youngest-ever Premier League starting XI (23 years, 21 days) when they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in December.
Enzo Fernandez on how he struggled with adaption during the early stages of his Chelsea career
Fernandez was viewed as one of Europe's brightest talents when he arrived at Stamford Bridge last year. He'd just come off winning the Best Young Player award at the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar.
The versatile midfielder had also impressed at club level with Benfica, scoring four goals and providing seven assists in 29 games across competitions. He was expected to fit in seamlessly into the Blues' midfield.
However, Fernandez endured a tough start to life at Chelsea that coincided with the club's poor performance as a collective. He touched on this last month (via the club's official website):
"The first six months were difficult, the second part of last year was better."
Fernandez feels that the current coaching staff have been beneficial as they speak Spanish:
"That the current coaching staff speak Spanish has helped me a lot. I am working to get to my best level and hope I can meet the club’s expectations of me. I’ll keep doing my best."
Chelsea will hope Fernandez is at his best when they face Liverpool in the league tonight (January 31). They will be eager to come away with a win against next month's Carabao Cup final opponents.