Mauricio Pochettino believes it is unfair to compare Enzo Fernandez’s impact at Chelsea with that of Arsenal’s Declan Rice as the teams prepare to meet at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Declan Rice joined Mikel Arteta’s side from West Ham last summer for £100million, less than the £107m it cost to take World Cup winner Fernandez from Benfica to Stamford Bridge in January 2023.
The fee for the Argentine International was a British record at the time, although the club have since surpassed it in the £115m signing of midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
Declan Rice has won praise for his transformative effect in Arsenal’s midfield, helping to create a stronger and more cohesive side than the one that fell apart in the final weeks of last year’s Premier League title race.
In contrast, Chelsea’s league position has not improved significantly in the 15 months since Fernandez arrived in West London, and despite clear flashes of his obvious talent and range of passing, questions remain over whether the club got value for money.
However, his compatriot Pochettino called for a look at the obstacles his player has had to contend with since arriving in England.
“Declan Rice played for West Ham, an Englishman who knows the Premier League, knows the language,” said the 52-year-old.
“For Enzo, when he arrived here after the World Cup, in an inconsistent team, it was difficult to get positive results, it was always really difficult.
“He was involved in too many games in the summer and came late in pre-season, he hasn’t had a holiday in the last two years.
“Too many negative things have happened. (It was) hard to adjust, to his family. It’s not easy to adapt and perform so quickly.”
Enzo Fernandez was responsible for creating Chelsea’s best chance in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City when he hit an incisive, playful pass from deep to send Nicolas Jackson on goal, but the striker was unable to finish.
He has scored three goals and provided four assists in the Premier League since his 2022 move from Portugal, but Pochettino insisted the best is yet to come from the 23-year-old.
“He’s definitely going to be a lot better next season, after the experience of a whole season with this team and this team,” he said.
“He is more experienced, he has better feelings. The whole season is good for him to learn. Even though he is a world champion, he needs to adapt to the Premier League and this club. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be much better.”
Mauricio Pochettino said there had been no discussions about the future of striker Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on a season-long loan at Roma, but appeared to hint that the door could be open for a return.
The 30-year-old has scored 18 goals for the Serie A side this campaign after telling Chelsea he wanted to leave last summer.
“He’s a Chelsea player, so we’ll definitely pay attention,” Pochettino said. “It’s a possibility. But we still haven’t made a decision.”
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