Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez (22) had a successful debut match.
Chelsea drew 0-0 with Fulham in the 2022-23 English Premier League round 22 home game held at Stamford Bridge in London, England on the 4th (Korean time).
Chelsea, who added 1 point without scoring after an away match against Liverpool on the 21st of last month, accumulated 30 points and took 9th place in the Premier League.
Chelsea, which hovers around mid-table this season, have made efforts to reinforce their strength for a leap forward by recruiting as many as eight players in the winter transfer market. According to reports, Chelsea spent 323.3 million pounds (approximately 485.9 billion won) on the eight signings. Fernandez is said to have spent £107m (approximately 161.3 billion won), the highest ever transfer fee in the Premier League.
Fernandez, who helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and received the ‘Young Player Award’, changed into a Chelsea uniform from Benfica, Portugal, and made his debut as a starter that day.
Fernandez showed a unique amount of activity in midfield. According to the British media ‘Metro’, Fernandez recorded 96 ball touches, but only two players touched the ball more than this. He recorded six tackles, the most of the game, and fired a sharp forward pass at his teammates.
Whoscored.com, which specializes in football statistics, gave Fernandez the highest rating of 7.4 among Chelsea players, along with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, after the match.
After the match, manager Graham Porter said: “He’s only been in England for a while and he didn’t know us. But you can tell he’s a brilliant player. The more he works with us, the better he gets.” 안전놀이터
“It was a tough game, but I could see his quality. I could see what he could do for the team,” he added. “I’m excited to be with him.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian winger Mihailo Mudrik, who joined Fernandez in this transfer window, made his first start this day following a substitute appearance in the last round. Defender Benoit Badiacil, who moved from AS Monaco in France, started in three consecutive matches.
Even in the replacement list, striker Noni Madueke, who was recruited from Eindhoven in the Netherlands, was named and stepped on the ground, actively using the transfer students, but Chelsea ended the game in a draw.