‘Line was crossed’ – Enzo Fernandez handed huge Chelsea punishment for transfer comments

Enzo Fernandez has been dropped for Chelsea’s next two games after repeated public comments casting doubt over his future at the club.

Fernandez will miss the FA Cup quarter-final tie on Saturday against Port Vale and next weekend’s Premier League clash with Manchester City.

‘I spoke with Enzo an hour ago. We’ve made a decision – he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game and he won’t be available for Manchester City,’ Liam Rosenior confirmed in his press conference on Friday.

‘It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way. I have got no bad words to say about him but a line was crossed but a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build.

‘It’s not ideal. A lot of it stemmed from a really difficult ten days, probably the most difficult ten days of my career.’

Fernandez raised eyebrows after Chelsea’s disappointing defeat to Paris Saint-Germain when he refused to rule out the possibility of leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer in an interview with ESPN Argentina.

In a separate interview that same evening, Fernandez went on to question the club’s decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca.

Fernandez later confirmed there had been ‘no talks’ with Real Madrid amid links with the Spanish club, but the midfielder stoked the flames once more over the international break when he said that Madrid would be his ideal place to live if he were to leave London.

Rosenior added: ‘Enzo, firstly, as a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect for what he has achieved and what he is as a player. He’s frustrated because he wants us to be successful.

‘In terms of the decision, it’s not all about me, or the sporting directors, the ownership, the players, we are aligned in every decision that we make. It was a joint decision.

‘The door is not closed on Enzo. It’s a sanction. You have to protect the culture, and in terms of that, a line was crossed in the international break.’

Asked about Fernandez’s future at the club, Rosenior added: ‘In terms of speaking for him, what he wants and his future, it’s not for me to speak about. I want to focus on a massive tomorrow where we can make an FA Cup semi-final.’

Marc Cucurella is another who was outspoken over the international break, with the left-back also questioning the decision to sack Maresca and criticising the club’s youth-centric transfer approach.

The Spaniard also said a return to Barcelona would be ‘hard to turn down’, but will not be punished like Fernandez.

‘That’s a separate case. Marc is available and will be involved tomorrow,’ Rosenior confirmed.

‘Everybody knows Marc’s character. He is passionate and he wants to do well. It was a long interview. He spoke his mind. When I was with him yesterday, I reminded him he can be honest with me. That takes time. To build those relationships, it takes time.

‘Marc is fully committed. He wants to be here. He has made that very, very clear to me and he believes in where we are going.’

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