Enzo Fernandez's Chelsea return comes amid a clear Moises Caicedo contract message

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsRare Title ShowdownArsenal's New Blueprint?Liverpool’s Huge SummerEnzo Fernandez’s Chelsea return comes amid a clear Moises Caicedo contract messageMoises Caicedo has agreed a new contract with Chelsea Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images Share articleAlmost three years ago, a phone call from Enzo Fernandez was an important part of the pitch that persuaded Moises Caicedo to join Chelsea over Liverpool. “I called and told him that he had to accept and come because Chelsea is a great and ambitious club,” Fernandez said in an interview with Chelsea’s official website later that year. “It was a nice chat,” Caicedo said of the exchange. “I mean, the fact that a world champion was phoning you, one of the best midfielders in the world…receiving that call was very nice and he convinced me to come here. He said it was a great club, that there (were) many young players, there was a togetherness here.” Could it be Caicedo’s turn to do the convincing? Fernandez did apologise to Chelsea, but his turbulent March international break in which he publicly flirted with Real Madrid is not easily forgotten. The sense of disrespect felt at Chelsea was only heightened by the fact that Fernandez had already ignited one firestorm by casting doubt about his future and criticising the departure of Enzo Maresca following Champions League elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. Now is the time for reintegration. Fernandez has served his internal two-match ban and made all of the required apologies at Cobham. He may also have noticed the pointed message underpinning the news that Caicedo is set to sign a new, improved contract at Stamford Bridge. Fernandez and Caicedo were two of several important players that The Athletic revealed in February were keen to renegotiate their Chelsea deals. Since that juncture, the two most expensive BlueCo signings have opted to take radically diverging paths: Fernandez and his representative agitated and postured in public, while Caicedo only broke his silence to reaffirm his commitment to the club when asked about his future. The subtext of Chelsea agreeing to reward Caicedo without acrimony is clear: keep your head down, avoid rocking the boat and you will get what you want. Fernandez’s approach is much likelier to lead to a summer of uncertainty for him and for the club, though there is still time for the atmosphere to meaningfully change between now and the end of May. Much depends on Fernandez. He has had very good stretches of form for Chelsea this season. He has been captain on the pitch in Reece James’ absence since the start of Enzo Maresca’s tenure, and even if that honour does not survive this latest indiscretion, he can play a major role in reviving an attack that has been held scoreless in three consecutive Premier League games. Chelsea are down but not quite out in the race for Champions League qualification. Fernandez has made it clear he has doubts about where this BlueCo project is going, but if this season does continue to unravel under Rosenior, the destabilising timing and nature of his expressions of scepticism will ensure he bears a share of the responsibility for it. Pastore has also made it clear on his behalf that he is not happy with his current salary. “We started discussing (a new contract) around December or January, but we couldn’t reach an agreement,” he told The Athletic earlier this month. “As Enzo’s contract still has six years to run, we decided not to renew it because the terms weren’t right for us or for the player; given what Enzo is capable of today, he deserves much more than he’s currently earning.” One way for Fernandez to safeguard his income is to help Chelsea get back into the Champions League next season; given the highly incentivised nature of BlueCo player contracts, failing to do so would result in significant pay cuts for him and many others in Rosenior’s squad. Summoning a repeat of the strong finish that salvaged last season would avoid that fate, as well as putting him on a stronger footing for a summer resumption of negotiations. All options remain open. There have been indications in recent days that Chelsea no longer view Fernandez in the “untouchable” bracket where Caicedo resides, but co-owner Behdad Eghbali cited him in a list of core players during his appearance at the CAA World Congress of Sports conference in Los Angeles on Thursday. “The objective is to keep your best players, and we’ve done that, and there’s no intention to rebuild every three or four years,” he said. Fernandez was not bought to be sold. That much was clear from the staggering £106million price Chelsea agreed to pay to prise him away from Benfica in the final hours of deadline day in January 2023. He was regarded as the first long-term pillar of the next great midfield at Stamford Bridge, and within months of his arrival he had helped lure the second in Caicedo. The Ecuador international has fully justified that status, blossoming into one of the world’s best midfielders under Maresca and deservedly being named Chelsea’s player of the season last year. Fernandez was not widely viewed as an unequivocal success at Stamford Bridge even before he hinted that his head had been turned by Madrid. Despite Fernandez and Caicedo being friendly off the pitch, they have rarely seemed like entirely complementary partners on it. “We are going to be one of the best teams in the Premier League,” Fernandez pledged later in that 2023 interview with Chelsea’s official website. “I don’t know when, not now, but I think that, through hard work, we will do it, we will achieve it.” Three years on, Chelsea remain a long way from that standard, but Caicedo has signalled he wants to keep striving to reach it. The coming weeks will clarify whether Fernandez is of the same mind. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Liam is a Staff Writer for The Athletic, covering Chelsea. He previously worked for Goal covering the Premier League before becoming the Chelsea correspondent for ESPN in 2015, witnessing the unravelling of Jose Mourinho, the rise and fall of Antonio Conte, the brilliance of Eden Hazard and the madness of Diego Costa. He has also contributed to The Independent and ITV Sport. Follow Liam on Twitter @liam_twomey