Xabi Alonso Addresses Enzo Fernandez's Omission from Chelsea Squad

Xabi Alonso insisted Enzo Fernandez’s omission from Chelsea’s squad at Luton was a joint call between himself and the club, as speculation over the midfielder’s future gathered pace.

Fernandez, who came off the bench in Monday night’s Premier League opener against Fulham, was not even among the substitutes as Chelsea beat Jack Wilshere’s League One side 2-0. A debut strike from Danny Welbeck and a late own goal forced by Estevao carried the Blues through, but the real noise swirled around the name that never appeared on the teamsheet.

Manchester City are understood to be lining up an offer for the 25-year-old before the transfer window closes, with the Premier League champions keen to reunite him with former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca at the Etihad Stadium. Against that backdrop, Fernandez’s absence looked like the strongest sign yet that a move before Tuesday night’s 11pm BST deadline is firmly on the table.

Alonso, though, pushed back on that narrative.

“We assess individually, collectively, what's the best for the team, for tonight, what was better for other players that were playing and we take the decision,” he said when asked about leaving Fernandez out.

Reports in Argentina had suggested Fernandez himself requested not to play against Luton. Alonso dismissed that outright.

“No, it was a decision from myself and from the club,” he replied.

The questions kept coming. Was the decision linked to active talks between City and Chelsea?

“No, it's just because of the game today and we had other players that needed minutes and it was that way,” Alonso said, keeping the line tight.

He revealed the call to drop Fernandez was made on Wednesday afternoon, after a press conference in which he had publicly expected the World Cup winner to feature in some capacity at Kenilworth Road.

“It's a decision that I took,” Alonso said, declining to confirm whether he had spoken directly with the player about it.

What he did make clear was his view of Fernandez’s conduct behind the scenes. “He's a good professional. He's training well and I have nothing to say about him. It was just a decision that we had to take, thinking about the game that we're playing tonight and we'll see for Sunday [against Brighton].”

For now, Chelsea insist this was about rotation and minutes. The clock, and Manchester City, may yet tell a different story.