Javier Pastore, the agent of Enzo Fernandez, has apologised for the comment his 25-year-old client made. He explained that Fernandez did not mean to upset anyone.
Pastore also defended Fernandez, as he believes that Chelsea handled the matter too harshly by suspending him for two games.
“ Enzo didn’t understand the situation. When the coach told him, he accepted it because he’s a highly professional guy who’s always fully committed wherever he is and respects decisions.
“But we don’t understand the punishment because he doesn’t mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea, far from it.
“He only mentions Madrid, the city, because he was asked which European city he’d like to live in one day.
“He said Madrid because of the language, because it’s similar to Buenos Aires and because it’s logical – it’s only natural for an Argentine to say that – and also because of the culture and the weather. But at no point does he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London.”
Fernandez still has six years left on his contract and will be renewed, as Pastore has revealed that contract talks have been ongoing. “There have been talks about renewing his contract, yes. We started discussing it around December or January, but we were unable to reach an agreement.
“As Enzo’s contract still has six years to run, we decided not to renew it because the terms weren’t right for the player. Given what Enzo is capable of today, he deserves much more than he’s currently earning.
“We haven’t reached an agreement, and it may be that this annoyed the club, given that he is a hugely important player, but these are things that have to be managed.
“We felt that rather than renewing on terms that wouldn’t make the player happy, it was better to leave things as they are and focus on playing and performing well. We don’t want to get into discussions about figures, contracts, and negotiations when the timing wasn’t right.
“Our plan after the World Cup is to meet with Chelsea again and, if there is no agreement, to explore other options.”
Fernandez still has one more match left to serve in his suspension. He already missed the first game, which was the FA Cup match against Port Vale on Saturday, April 4, where Chelsea won 7–0.
He will also miss the upcoming Premier League match against Manchester City as part of the suspension.
If he is selected, Fernandez is expected to return to the team on April 18 for the game against Manchester United.
