Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has been omitted from the matchday squad for a second straight game amid Manchester City's interest in a £100m transfer.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso chose not to include the 25-year-old in his 20-man selection for Sunday's 4-3 Premier League victory over Brighton and Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge.
The exclusion comes as Manchester City prepare a £100million offer for the Argentina international before the summer transfer window closes on September 1, as reported by Daily Mail Sport. Chelsea are set to reject that proposal, valuing their No 8 midfielder at £120million.
Fernandez, a World Cup winner with Argentina who joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2023, plays as a central midfielder for the West London club. Alonso, the former Spain and Real Madrid midfielder who took over as Chelsea head coach, insisted his selection decisions were made in the interest of the team.
Alonso Explains Squad Selection
Speaking to Sky Sports prior to Sunday's kickoff against Brighton, Alonso addressed his decision to leave Fernandez out of the squad for the second time in four days.
"We think what is best for the team and the club," Alonso said. "Sometimes we need to make tough calls; we don't know what will happen in the future."
"But today it was better that we have this squad, and in the future we don't know what is going to happen," the Spaniard added.
Sunday's omission followed a similar decision on Thursday, when Fernandez was left out of Chelsea's squad for their League Cup second-round tie against League One side Luton Town. Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory in that match courtesy of a goal from Danny Welbeck and an own goal by Hakeem Odoffin.
Shift From Pre-Match Comments
The midfielder's absence on Thursday came despite Alonso publicly stating a day earlier that Fernandez would play. Speaking on Wednesday, the manager said: "Yes, so we expect that he's involved. He's trained, he's training really well, he's a good professional and he will be involved."
However, when the official team sheet was announced on Thursday evening, Fernandez was absent from the squad entirely. Asked before the Luton match about the decision, Alonso said: "We assessed situations, individual and collective and we have decided he is not in the squad for today."
Following the midweek win, Alonso revealed that the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge was involved in taking the player out of the matchday squad.
"It was a decision from myself and from the club," Alonso said. "We had other players that needed minutes and it was that way. It's a decision that I took. He's a good professional. He's training well. I have nothing to say about him."
"It was just a decision that we had to take, thinking about the game that we're playing tonight and we'll see for (Brighton on) Sunday," Alonso added.
Squad Balance and Deadline Approach
When pressed earlier in the week on whether he wanted Fernandez to remain at Chelsea beyond the transfer window, Alonso emphasised the importance of overall squad balance.
"We want to have the best team possible," Alonso said. "We know his qualities. He has shown it. We have to wait, but we will think about tomorrow and let's see how things develop."
"We assess the whole squad as a unit and in that squad, we want good balance in terms of quality, in terms of positions, in terms of personalities, so we are aware of everything and we are prepared for whatever," Alonso said.
With Fernandez's future at Stamford Bridge remaining uncertain and Manchester City maintaining their interest, Chelsea face a crucial period before the transfer window closes on September 1.
