BREAKING: Enzo Maresca warned Chelsea star is ‘not suited to the Premier League’

Enzo Maresca has been warned about one Chelsea player (Picture: Getty)

Former Blues defender William Gallas has cautioned Enzo Maresca that Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez is “not suited to the Premier League.”

When Fernandez traded Benfica for Chelsea in January 2023, he became the most expensive signing in British football history, having paid £105 million for the deal.

The 23-year-old, who was the star of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory, has displayed flashes of his potential but has far too frequently fallen short of the expectations placed on him while he was at Stamford Bridge.

Fernandez has not started a league game since the beginning of October and is now behind Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in the standings as Maresca appears to be establishing a stable starting lineup.

Maresca claimed earlier in the month that the Blues had a better “balance” in midfield thanks to Caiceo and Lavia’s pairing, but he also hinted that the Argentine would continue to be an important part of his plans as the season progressed.

Gallas, a former centre-back for Chelsea, is concerned that his old team may soon have to admit that their expensive acquisition is not a suitable fit for the English Premier League.

Gallas responded to a question about Fernandez’s suitability for the Premier League by telling Prime Casino that “Enzo Fernandez is different.” We know the Premier League is extremely competitive, even if he is of high level.

Enzo Fernandez has fallen out of favour at Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

We are aware that not everyone is cut out for the Premier League. We are aware that it isn’t for everyone. He needs to get more fit. He needs to run more and accomplish more. He also has to be more reliable.

That is the reason his role is so challenging. What are we asking of him? to score goals, provide a few assists, and play essentially box-to-box.

Is he capable of doing this? He may be able to play box-to-box, but I’m not sure. He must begin to either score goals or dish out assists.

“I think it will be a little bit hard for Enzo to re-establish himself in the midfield for Chelsea this season,” Gallas added.

Even if he just plays 15 or 20 minutes, he still needs to demonstrate his abilities. He will have opportunities from the bench, including one against Manchester United.

He had the chance to give Chelsea the second goal that would have won the match against Manchester United. He must thus seize the opportunities that will present themselves.

Currently sitting on the bench, he served as the team’s vice captain. He is aware that he needs to do more, and the other players are aware that they must continue to perform in order to maintain their spot on the squad.

Gallas is not alone in doubting Fernendez’s ability to play for Chelsea; Graeme Souness is adamant that the midfielder would “never reach the level” the team would have hoped for.

He stated on the Three Up Front podcast, “I think there’ll be a huge waste of players from the current squad and a lot of them will never live up to the levels that people think they will.”

For me, the most obvious is Enzo Fernandez, who they spent £105 million for but isn’t even on the team right now. They have purchased numerous players who will never perform to the level they had hoped for.

Given that Fernandez makes £180,000 per week and has a contract that expires in 2032, it might be challenging for Chelsea to let him go despite his recent slump in performance.

According to early reports, the midfield player is still content at Stamford Bridge and wants to compete for a spot in the first squad, despite suggestions that Barcelona and Inter Milan were interested in him.