Enzo Fernandez experienced a polarized reception from the crowd during Chelsea's friendly match against Real Sociedad. As the 25-year-old midfielder entered the game in the 62nd minute to replace Reece James, he was met with boos from a section of the fans, while other supporters offered him their backing.
The tension surrounding the Argentina international follows his public declaration in May expressing a desire to depart from the London club. Despite this, Chelsea has maintained a reported asking price of £120 million, equivalent to approximately $162 million, for the player. No formal bids have been received for the midfielder during the current summer transfer window.
Fernandez, who scored for Argentina in their World Cup semi-final victory over England this past July, also faced a difficult end to that tournament after being sent off during the final match against Spain.
On the pitch, Chelsea secured a win in their final pre-season fixture before the start of the Premier League campaign, where they are scheduled to face local rivals Fulham. Brazilian forward Pedro led the charge for manager Xabi Alonso, netting two goals to bring his personal pre-season tally to eight. Real Sociedad’s Jon Aramburu provided the team's lone goal in the match.
