ENZO FERNANDEZ was so desperate to leave Chelsea this summer that he put in two written transfer requests, with his relationships with his team mates left beyond repair.
Fernandez, 25, eventually got his wish in the form of a £125million deadline day move to Manchester City, having previously flirted with a move to Real Madrid.
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The deal matched the British record transfer fee paid by Liverpool for Swedish striker Alexander Isak last summer, as the Blues held out until the final moment to sell the Argentine midfielder, though they waited so long that they were left without a replacement.
A last ditch attempt to sign Monaco’s Lamine Camara failed when Monaco pulled the plug on the deal, leaving Chelsea bosses enraged.
Fernandez was vice-captain at Stamford Bridge, but felt he no longer had a relationship with his Chelsea teammates and handed in not one, but two transfer requests in his bid to move elsewhere.
His time in West London was tumultuous, with the club standing by him when he was filmed singing a racist chant about the French national team, as well as still giving him minutes despite his public disrespect of the club at the back end of last season.
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On the positive end, the Blues profited on his signing, and he was a key player in the side who won the Club World Cup and the Conference League as one of the first major signings made by the BlueCo hierarchy.
The conduct of the now-City midfielder was almost the polar opposite to that of Pedro Neto, who has today been rewarded with a new contract until 2032.
The Portuguese winger was subject to interest from Manchester City and the Saudi Pro League, but was determined to fight for his place in the team under Xabi Alonso, and is embracing his new role as a wing back.
Fernandez publicly criticised the club last season for letting Enzo Maresca join Manchester City, claiming that he didn’t understand why the bosses sanctioned his exit.
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He said at the time: “I don’t understand it. Sometimes there are things that we as players don’t understand, how and in what way they try to manage things.
“Obviously, it was a departure that hurt us a lot … especially in the middle of the season, it cuts everything short.
“We had an identity. He gave us an order, even though, as is the way of football, sometimes it’s good and bad.
“But he always had a very clear identity when it came to training and playing.”
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Maresca and Fernandez kept in touch ever since the Italian left Chelsea, an act that left the club disappointed in their vice-captain during a tough period on and off the pitch.
Of course there are no rules against staying in touch with your former manager, and Maresca made Fernandez his number one transfer target as City overhauled their midfield by signing Fernandez, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Elliott Anderson in the summer, while letting Rodri move to Barcelona.