‘We talked’: £186k-a-week Chelsea player confirms Pochettino will play him in a new role this season

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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez says he has spoken to Mauricio Pochettino about playing a little further forward this season.

Enzo Fernandez told ESPN in Argentina that he likes it when he is given freedom in midfield and that Pochettino is going to give him it this term.

“We talked a little bit about everything, where I felt most comfortable, everything,” the 22-year-old said.

“The truth is that yes, I like to play loose, and the function that I am going to fulfil this year is going to be that, playing double five but a little looser, trying not to have the responsibility I had last season, playing five alone.”

It will now be interesting to see who ends up playing next to Fernandez.

Chelsea will be hoping that it is Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, with The Telegraph reporting that he wants to move to Stamford Bridge this summer amid the Blues’ interest.

Enzo Fernandez could thrive in his new role

Fernandez is a very technical midfielder who is great at passing the ball, so giving him more license to get forward and support attacks makes a lot of sense.

“You can see his quality when he gets the ball. He can pass forward,” his former manager Graham Potter was quoted as saying by GOAL back in March.

Ultimately, alongside a ball-winner, someone like Caicedo, Fernandez should be able to show the above more often at Stamford Bridge.

At 22 and after all the money that they spent on him, the £186,000-a-week Argentina international (Salary Sport) is definitely the sort of player Chelsea should be looking to build around.

Right now, their midfield as a whole does not look great after so many departures, which includes the exit of N’Golo Kante. But that could quickly change if Pochettino has both Fernandez and Caicedo in his engine room.

If Chelsea are to qualify for the Champions League this season, it is an area of their squad that they have to improve, as the brilliance of Fernandez alone will probably not be enough to secure them a top-four finish.