It’s turned out to be a really strong individual season from Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, but it took him a bit of time to adjust to life under Enzo Maresca.
The spotlight has been firmly on Enzo Fernandez, 24, ever since his arrival at Chelsea for £107m in the 2023 January transfer window.
The Argentine central midfielder has been trying to prove himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful amid frequent changes at the club, especially in the manager’s dugout.
| Coach | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Enzo Maresca | 42 | 7 | 13 |
| Mauricio Pochettino | 40 | 7 | 4 |
| Frank Lampard | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Graham Potter | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| Bruno Saltor | 1 | 0 | 0 |
In the 2024/25 season, Fernandez has emerged as one of Chelsea’s star players, even wearing the captain’s armband when Reece James isn’t on the pitch. It’s no coincidence that Blues head coach Enzo Maresca has started him in 23 of the previous 24 Premier League matches.
Enzo Fernandez has transformed at Chelsea in 2025 into a real talisman, but it wasn’t smooth sailing earlier in the season.
Enzo Fernandez admits to tough start under Enzo Maresca
While Fernandez is delighted with his recent performances for Chelsea, he’s reflected that it was tough for him earlier in the campaign.
The South American star admitted that he “struggled” to get to grips with Maresca’s ideas following his managerial appointment last summer, but everything has now started to click into place under him.
“I’m so happy with my numbers. Being a box-to-box midfielder, it’s a really good number of goals and assists,” Fernandez said via Chelsea’s official website.
“It was difficult in the beginning, getting to know Enzo and the way he wanted to play, but now I totally understand him and what he wants from me.”
Back in late October to early November, Fernandez did find himself out of Chelsea’s starting line-up for a few Premier League games. If you compare that to now, it would be a huge shock if his name was left out of the XI.
Speaking in November 2024, Pat Nevin assessed Enzo Fernandez’s problem at Chelsea by explaining that he wasn’t fitting into the team as an attacking midfielder.
As the season has progressed, we’ve seen the World Cup winner really grow into a roaming box-to-box midfielder who’s mastered the art of timing his runs into the final third of the pitch.
Enzo Fernandez has worked on crashing the penalty box to provide a bigger goal threat. Well, it’s certainly paying off because he’s a big part of what the Blues do offensively. His record of 20 direct goal contributions in 42 appearances across all competitions this season is evidence of that.
The Chelsea midfield is irresistible
While Chelsea’s recruitment team still needs to do a bit of work with defensive and offensive positions, they’ve absolutely nailed the profiles in central midfield.
In the Blues’ league victory over Liverpool last weekend, the midfield quartet of Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia were all on the pitch together. If they can all stay fit, it could be something quite special moving forward.
We love the balance between defence and attack with the aforementioned midfield quartet, so Maresca deserves huge credit for finding a system that incorporate all of them.
The strength in depth will improve with the imminent additions of Andrey Santos and Dario Essugo next season, too.
