'We'll see' - Enzo Fernandez makes admission over Chelsea future at Chelsea after PSG defeat
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Chelsea star midfielder Enzo Fernandez insisted that his stay at Stamford Bridge beyond this season remains uncertain after Tuesday's Champions League second-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues are knocked out of the Champions League after an 8-2 aggregate defeat to PSG in the round of 16.
This means Chelsea will now have to secure their ticket to next season's Champions League through the Premier League, which has always been their primary objective this season.
A top-five finish in the Premier League is likely enough to secure a qualification for the Champions League, but even this is far from certain for Chelsea.
They currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, a point behind Liverpool in fifth, with eight games to play in the competition.
Failing to reach this objective could prove disastrous for any top club, including Chelsea, both on and off the pitch.
Obviously, it would be much harder to attract the top targets without Champions League football, but Chelsea may also have to fight to keep their current stars, including Fernandez.
"I don't know. My focus is here for now," the midfielder told ESPN Argentina when asked whether he will stay at Chelsea next season.
"We have eight Premier League matches to play and the FA Cup. Then, the World Cup is coming up, so we'll see after that."
On the Champions League tie defeat, he added: "We have to congratulate PSG, they were much better than us. I think they defeated us very well tactically.
"Since I arrived at Chelsea, situations like this have happened. It's time to support my colleagues.
"We can turn this situation around. We can (still) qualify for the next Champions League, which is what we want.
"And we want to win the FA Cup, that's why we will fight, it's a title, and we play football to win."
Fernandez is under contract at Chelsea until 2032, so the club should have the final say on his future.
That said, clubs tend to avoid keeping players who have expressed their desire to leave against their will because of how it could affect the atmosphere in the dressing room.
Blues head coach Liam Rosenior has played down Fernandez's comment and insisted that his focus is solely on Chelsea's next fixture.
"Firstly, I haven't seen that," the Chelsea boss said in response during his post-match press conference.
"It's hard for me to speak on speculation after a game, and I need to focus right now on the most important things, which is making sure we get a result against Everton on Saturday."
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.