Chelsea with and without Enzo Fernandez: Why Maresca has easy Man Utd decision

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will have a few selection decision to make ahead of Sunday’s big Premier League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but whether to start Enzo Fernandez should not be one of those.

The Argentine’s arrival at Chelsea from Benfica in January 2023 was seen as a huge statement of intent due to the astronomical €121 million fee, yet it is also starting to look like a major mistake on the part of the Stamford Bridge side’s owners.

Enzo Fernandez, after all, could have signed six months earlier for around 10% of that fee, while he has wholly failed to justify his astronomical transfer figure in terms of what he has brought to the team.

READ MORE: Next Chelsea manager? Rosenior makes early charge to replace Maresca

This is underlined by Chelsea’s record with and without the 23-year-old midfielder since February 2023.

Chelsea have played a total of 84 matches across all competitions, and though Enzo has played 65 of these, the Blues have won almost as many fixtures without him as they have with him.

Indeed, when Enzo has played, the Stamford Bridge outfit have picked up a win on 32.3% of the time, yet without him this rises to 84.2%.

Maresca seems to have registered this. Enzo captained Chelsea in six of their first seven Premier League matches this season – missing the other due to illness – but since that 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, he has been benched.

He was recalled for the midweek clash against Newcastle, yet that ended in another defeat.

Romeo Lavia should, therefore, be ready to lace up his boots against Man Utd.

Enzo’s transfer value has doubled

When Chelsea spent more than €120m to sign Enzo, he had an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €24.3m.

Playing on the stage of the Premier League, he did briefly see his value explode to a little over €80m, yet it has since dropped back to €54.3m.

So while Enzo is worth more than he was when Chelsea first bought him, he is still far from the player the Blues hoped he would be.