MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 19:38:46| >> :60:1364:1364:

Chelsea 'activate Enzo Fernandez contract extension'

Chelsea 'activate Enzo Fernandez contract extension'
© Reuters
Chelsea reportedly activate an extension clause in the contract of midfielder Enzo Fernandez, keeping him tied to the club until 2032.

Chelsea have reportedly activated an extension clause in the contract of midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

The West Londoners forked out a British transfer record fee of £106.8m to lure the 22-year-old midfielder from Benfica to Stamford Bridge in January.

Fernandez had only been at Benfica for six months following a £12m switch from River Plate last summer, but he opted to make the big-money move to Chelsea and put pen to paper on a mega eight-and-a-half-year deal.

Less than four months into his spell with Chelsea, journalist Cesar Luis Merlo claims that the Premier League giants have now decided to activate an option to extend his existing deal by a further 12 months to the summer of 2032.

Fernandez now boasts the longest-running contract at Stamford Bridge, moving slightly ahead of fellow big-money January addition Mykhaylo Mudryk who has a deal with the Blues until 2031.

Fulham's Andreas Pereira in action with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez on February 3, 2023© Reuters

Since arriving in West London, Fernandez has quickly established himself as a first-team regular at Chelsea, starting in all 13 games across the Premier League and Champions League and completing the full 90 minutes on 11 of those occasions.

Prior to his January transfer, Fernandez was one of the breakout stars at the 2022 World Cup for winners Argentina and was named the Young Player of the Tournament in Qatar.

Fernandez has already made a quick impression under interim boss Frank Lampard, who has hailed the midfielder's leadership qualities.

"Chelsea brought in some younger players throughout this season. We had to give them a chance at developing into the leaders we want them to be," Lampard told reporters, as quoted by GOAL, after the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

"Enzo is becoming a leader, but he's 22, I think it's quite difficult for us to talk about that, he'll have to find his way.

Argentina's Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring their second goal on November 26, 2022© Reuters

"Games like tonight are a great chance to perform and show the personality that makes you a proper leader."

In response to Lampard's praise, Fernandez added: "I always dream to be a leader because when I started, I always wanted to be an example.

"To be defined like that so young makes me really proud. I always give my best and try to be an example for everyone."

Fernandez's instant impact at Stamford Bridge is proving to be one of few positives to take from Chelsea's season to date, with the West Londoners currently languishing in 11th place in the Premier League table and are in serious risk of failing to qualify for Europe, sitting 17 points behind the top four and seven points behind the top seven.

Meanwhile, Chelsea confirmed earlier this week that left-back Ben Chilwell has penned fresh terms on a new contract, while talks are believed to be ongoing over a new deal for midfielder N'Golo Kante who is out of contract in June.

ID:511333:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5680:

Click here for more stories about Enzo Fernandez

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell is sent off for foul on Real Madrid winger Rodrygo on April 12, 2023.
Read Next:
Chelsea defender Chilwell apologises for red card
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!