Chelsea’s signing of Enzo Fernandez for a British record transfer fee was a tactical move to prevent rivals clubs getting a chance to bring the then Benfica midfielder in.
That’s according to Matt Law, who has a piece up today on the workings of the deal. He claims that Chelsea forced the £106m deal through in January because they knew by the summer, Real Madrid and other top sides were going to be ready to compete with them for his signing.
In a way that’s obvious, but it’s also interesting to hear the details of a chase which lasted almost precisely from the first day of January until the last.
Law writes that Chelsea had understood that Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Madrid were all going to do their best to sign the World Cup winner, and they knew they could potentially save money by cutting out a bidding war.
It has also allowed them to bring their man in 6 months early – not that it’s helped results much. Enzo has yet to experience a win in Blue.