Chelsea Seek Midfield Solution After Enzo Fernandez Exit
Chelsea are scrambling to plug the gap left by Enzo Fernandez – and could turn to one of Liverpool’s old midfield generals to do it.
Chelsea left short after Enzo exit
Deadline day at Stamford Bridge was chaotic even by Chelsea’s recent standards. Enzo Fernandez sealed a blockbuster £125million move to Manchester City, a record fee that dominated the final hours of the window. Chelsea had lined up Lamine Camara from Monaco as a replacement, but that pursuit collapsed before the deadline passed.
So Xabi Alonso starts his first weeks in charge with a glaring hole in the centre of his team and no transfer window to fix it.
The response? Look outside the market.
Wijnaldum emerges as shock solution
According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea have made contact with Georginio Wijnaldum, who is a free agent after leaving Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq in the summer.
Wijnaldum is 35 now, but he knows the Premier League inside out. He drove Newcastle’s midfield, then became a key cog in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool machine, winning the league title in 2020 and playing his part in one of the most dominant midfields of the era.
Across his spells at Newcastle and Liverpool, he racked up 277 appearances in England and built a reputation for big-game contributions and tactical discipline. He reminded people of his scoring touch last season too, hitting 17 goals in 34 games for Al-Ettifaq, though that form still didn’t bring him a new contract.
Alonso views that experience as a ready-made stopgap. No adaptation to the league. No learning curve under the lights. Just a veteran who understands the tempo and the pressure.
Alonso’s midfield puzzle
Alonso has wasted no time stamping his ideas on Chelsea. Romeo Lavia has started both of the club’s league games this season as the anchor in midfield, with Reece James and Cole Palmer used alongside him. Enzo, with speculation raging over his future, was left out as the Manchester City move gathered pace.
Even after sanctioning the World Cup winner’s exit, Alonso insisted he would not flinch from decisions he felt were right for the squad.
Speaking after the wild 4-3 win over Brighton, the new Chelsea boss said: “We will see. We want the best for team. If anything that will happen or develop, we are not sure. We are preparing for all the scenarios, but I know that from Wednesday, we have a team to challenge and I want to win.”
Chelsea do still have Moises Caicedo, signed for £115m and expected to be a pillar of the midfield for years. But he limped off on Sunday, adding another layer of anxiety to an area of the pitch that already looked thin.
So Alonso stares at a midfield suddenly stripped of Enzo, reliant on Lavia, waiting on Caicedo’s fitness – and now potentially leaning on a 35-year-old who once bossed English midfields in red.
If Wijnaldum walks back into the Premier League in blue, can he still set the tempo at this level, or is this a gamble Chelsea are making out of necessity rather than conviction?
