Why Enzo Fernandez Is Expected to Captain Chelsea Again Despite Exile

Cole Palmer was given the armband against Port Vale but isn’t expected to lead against former club Manchester City.

Enzo Fernández has captained Chelsea in 17 games this season. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

Enzo Fernández is reportedly expected to captain Chelsea again as one of the “alpha” characters in the group, despite being sanctioned by the club for appearing to openly court a move away to Real Madrid.

Without explicitly tying himself down to a transfer away from Chelsea, Fernández cast enough doubt over his commitment to the west London club that he was internally sanctioned. After sitting out Saturday’s FA Cup thrashing of Port Vale, the Argentina international is set to miss this weekend’s crucial Premier League clash with Manchester City. As Liam Rosenior repeated on a number of occasions, Fernández “crossed the line.”

However, Rosenior has been keen avoid any lasting damage to his personal relationship with Fernández. The Chelsea manager insisted that “things aren’t what people maybe think they are” and is preparing to welcome his star midfielder back with open arms for his side’s next fixture—another meaty clash with Manchester United.

With club captain Reece James still sidelined by injury, Fernández is still expected to wear the armband once he returns to action,The Guardian report. The 25-year-old “remains part of the leadership group” and is one of the most vocal and forthright personalities in the Premier League’s youngest squad.

This could be viewed as a decisive decision for Rosenior. The opinion of Fernández being immediately ushered straight back in as the squad’s figurehead in James’s absence is not universally accepted. The Athletic quote one source who felt compelled to stress that Fernández is merely “one of several co-captains” as opposed to the “formal vice-captain.”

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Palmer Set to Lose Armband Against Former Club

Cole Palmer captained Chelsea against Port Vale. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

One thing agreed upon by both reports is that Cole Palmer will not captain Chelsea against Manchester City on Sunday. The former Cityzen playmaker wore the armband in last weekend’s 7–0 blitz against Port Vale for the first time in his career and reveled in the experience.

“It was a proud moment being captain,” Palmer noted. “I enjoyed it and it was a good afternoon.”

The England international described the decision as a “long time coming” yet it could be swiftly yanked away again. Multiple outlets expect Moisés Caicedo to take on the armband against City. The 24-year-old has already twice captained Chelsea this season (both times in cup competitions against lower league opposition) and is deemed to be higher up the pecking order than Palmer.

Whether he will keep the captaincy at Fernández’s expense against Manchester United is another matter entirely—and also depends upon Caicedo not getting a suspension-inducing 10th yellow card of the season against City.

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Chelsea Captain Hierarchy

Rank	Player	Chelsea Career Appearances
1.	Reece James	226
2.	Enzo Fernández	161
3.	Moisés Caicedo	139
4.	Cole Palmer	123

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Fernandez ‘Remains Keen’ on Chelsea Exit

Enzo Fernández has unsettled Chelsea. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Fernández’s possession of the armband for the remainder of the campaign is one issue, but his status as a Chelsea player going forward is a far thornier topic. While Marc Cucurella was convinced by his discussion with the hierarchy about the club’s future—hence his lack of sanction despite similarly outspoken comments—Fernández is thought to “remain keen” on a move to Real Madrid, according to BBC Sport.

Madrid’s stance in all this is not so clear. The same report bills Fernández’s asking price at a hefty $133.2 million (£100 million), which may very well be out of the Spanish giants’ price range.

Fernández’s firm stance appears to revolve around a question of value. Talks over a new deal on superior terms at Chelsea have stalled, with the midfielder’s agent Javier Pastore recently insisting that his client “deserves much more than he’s currently earning.”

“Our plan after the World Cup is to meet with Chelsea again and, if there is no agreement, to explore other options,” the representative ominously declared.

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