Chelsea have been accused of ‘overspending’ on Enzo Fernandez and a number of their other January signings, with two defensive midfielders at Manchester United and Manchester City better than the Premier League’s most expensive ever signing.
The Blues signed the Argentina World Cup winner in a record £106million transfer from Benfica on deadline day in what was an incredibly busy winter window for Graham Potter and owner Todd Boehly.
The 22-year-old only moved to Portugal last summer but has emerged as one of the top midfield talents in world football, showcasing his abilities as he helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar.
Fernandez has signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge, joining a much younger-looking Blues squad as Potter’s 10th-placed side look to get back in the mix for the top four.
However, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy thinks that while Fernandez is a ‘decent player’, he is not worth £100m or at the same level as United star Casemiro or City’s Rodri.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Murphy said: “Chelsea are overpaying for players, I still don’t think the majority of their first XI gets anywhere near Man City’s team.
“I’ve watched Enzo Fernandez live and he’s decent, but he’s not £100m. They’ve been absolutely bent over there. He’s a good midfielder, he’s tenacious, he’s young, he gets on the ball and he’s brave.
“But he’s not Casemiro, he’s not Rodri. They’re overspending on players, clubs are seeing Chelsea come and they’re basically just pulling their pants down.”
The arrival of Fernandez in west London took Chelsea’s spending during the January window to almost £300m.
Rio raves over Chelsea new boy
However, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has backed their decision to spend more than £100m on the Argentine.
Speaking before the transfer was announced, he told Vibe with Five: “Bad player, wicked player! He’s got it. He’s a good player. I’d be surprised if he comes in and isn’t a success.
“He’s a top player. He was the best young player at the tournament in the World Cup I thought. He was integral for them.
“His passing, his composure for a young player was top. And he won’t be fazed if he handled the World Cup the way he did.
“He played at Benfica a big club in that country and the demands at the club, he’s used to pressure. The money is irrelevant if you look at it and think he could be here for five or six years. Chelsea are on a mad one.”
Chelsea are back in action on Friday evening when they host Fulham in the Premier League.
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