HOW CHELSEA, BENFICA EXECUTIVES ALMOST GET INTO PHYSICAL FIGHT OVER ENZO FERNANDEZ DEAL
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Farouq Oduola A.
All the secrets behind £107m record transfer.
According to shocking claims in Portugal, the executives of Chelsea and Benfica nearly got into a fight over the future of Enzo Fernandez.
The Argentine World Cup winner moved to Stamford Bridge for a British record-breaking fee worth £107m on deadline day.
The two parties have been engaged in heated negotiations since the world cup, with Chelsea prioritising the 22-year-old after being impressed by his performances in Qatar.
The transfer negotiations stretched on for a significant part of January, and Portuguese publication, Record has now revealed the intense tension that occurred between the two camps when they met to discuss Fernandez and how Benfica had pushed for Mateo Kovacic to be included in a swap deal.
Fernandez is rumoured to have threatened to upload a video criticising Benfica’s management in order to join the Premier League club.
According to the report, Benfica president Rui Costa travelled to London after Chelsea expressed interest, and on January 3 conversations took place in a meeting with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and Portuguese football agent Jorge Mendes.
Things then reportedly came to a boiling point between the two clubs, with reports that chiefs of both sides were close to physical confrontation in a bitter dispute. Costa is said to have left the room in anger after Chelsea’s dropped their original proposal of £107m to £80m with players to be offered in return.
A number of players were suggested, including Jorginho, who eventually joined Arsenal for £12 million. Benfica reportedly requested that Kovacic be sent in the opposite direction.
The 28-year-old Croatian was put on the table, but his salary—roughly £5 million annually—made it impossible for that to happen.
On deadline day, Chelsea then came back with a £107m transfer to Benfica, however Costa claimed they could have gotten him in the summer for £89m.
It is claimed that Fernandez, worried that the move wouldn’t go through, threatened to record a video to post on social media with accusations against Benfica’s structure.
Fernandez is believed to have wanted a move since the World Cup, and defied his club by flying back to Argentina to celebrate the New Year as he pushed for a move to England.
Benfica manager Roger Schmidt had claimed no deal would take place in mid-January, but Chelsea came back in for the midfielder after giving up in their pursuit of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and deciding they would pay Fernandez’s full release clause.
Costa explained how unwilling he was to keep an unmotivated player at Benfica, and showed little remorse for Fernandez’ exit.
“Enzo Fernandez did not want to stay at Benfica. He didn’t give us any chance,’ the president said at a Bwin event this week.
“I did my best, I’m sad, but I’m not going to cry for a player who didn’t want to stay. When Chelsea arrived, it was really impossible to change his mind.”
Costa added: “During deadline day we found an agreement to sell Enzo to Chelsea in the summer but he didn’t want to stay.
“From the moment Enzo realised [Chelsea would pay] the value of the clause it was unrelenting. We tried to insist, but the player did not show any openness to continuing at Benfica.
“I proposed to Chelsea that he stay until the summer for a lower value, but the player did not want to continue at Benfica – and this is when everything changed.”
Fernandez, who arrived at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, left a message of thanks to the players, coach and management of Benfica on social media in which he said: ‘I will carry them forever in my heart.’
He was named best young player as Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar last year, and could help revive a flagging Chelsea season that has seen them slump to 10th in the league.
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