Xabi Alonso had said on Wednesday that he was counting on him. On Thursday, Enzo Fernández was not in the squad to face Luton in the Carabao Cup.
The Chelsea manager's explanation was brief.
We have assessed situations, individual and collective, and we decided that he is not in the group today.
Those are the facts. The rest calls for caution.
Manchester City back in the race
Manchester City have been tracking the Argentine for months. The club had, however, let pass the deadline set by Chelsea of 14 August to submit an offer, which appeared to close the matter. The Cityzens are now said to be considering another move before the window shuts on Tuesday. Chelsea are reportedly valuing their midfielder at around £120 million.
At that price, Fernández would become the club's most expensive signing in history, ahead of Elliot Anderson.
A sporting logic that holds up
City sold Rodri to Barça and Tijjani Reijnders to Al Qadsiah, parted ways with Bernardo Silva, and are letting Nico González leave for Newcastle. Despite Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi, the squad still lacks a player who has already carried a top-level midfield over a full season.
Enzo Maresca managed him at Chelsea. He knows exactly what he would be buying.
The player, an uncontrollable variable
What remains is the part nobody controls: the player. Fernández had already been suspended for two matches last season for publicly discussing his future. His situation has not calmed down at all.
An absence can be a case of squad management. It can also be a signal.
Four days to find out which.
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