In July, I wrote about Maresca and the people who protect the badge. I called him a snake. After Enzo Fernandez joined him at Manchester City on deadline day, I put both of them in that category.
Manchester City confirmed Fernandez's arrival on a contract running until 2031. Sky Sports reported a fee of 125 million pounds. City got their midfielder at the end of the window. Chelsea finished it without the replacement they had arranged.
I hate the timing. Maresca knew this club and had worked with Fernandez. From my side, coming back for him with hours left feels calculated. City improve their team while Chelsea have almost no time left to respond.
I don't know whether Maresca wanted to leave us struggling. The timing alone can't tell me that. But after everything I wrote about in July, I find it hard to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Fernandez chose to join him. I understand that players can want another club. I can also think the way a player leaves is shit. Joining Maresca at City under these circumstances feels like another betrayal, and I'm not going to pretend I'm pleased for either of them.
I Kept Backing Fernandez
I kept backing Enzo Fernandez through all the chaos he brought to Chelsea. That's why this hurts as much as it does. I supported him while he wore our shirt, even when he made that support difficult.
Then came the report about his relationships inside the club. In Matt Law's account of the breakdown with his Chelsea teammates, Chelsea were reportedly told he felt he no longer had a relationship with any of them. Law also reported two written transfer requests.
I read that as him feeling he had no friends left at Chelsea. And it hurts. After backing him through everything, hearing that he felt there was nothing left between him and the people he played with makes that support feel wasted.
For me, he's the worst person ever to wear a Chelsea jersey. That's how betrayed I feel by the way he left. I kept defending him, and now I can't find a reason to do it again.
I can also understand the hurt Benfica fans felt when he pushed to join us. George Flood's report for the Standard in February 2023 quoted Rui Costa saying Fernandez wanted to leave and that he couldn't change the player's mind once Chelsea came for him.
Chelsea benefited from that departure. I can't ignore our part in it now that we're the club he wanted to leave. The circumstances aren't identical, but I understand why Benfica supporters resented the way it happened. Watching him push towards another club while yours deals with the consequences hurts. I feel that now.
Everton, Monaco, and the Deals That Fell Apart
The replacement story makes this worse. Chelsea had an agreement for Lamine Camara from AS Monaco. Everton were trying to sign Monaco striker Folarin Balogun. Monaco's decisions connected the two transfers.
Sky Sports' account of the Balogun deal sets out the sequence. Balogun travelled to Merseyside, but an issue during his medical put the move in doubt. Monaco then agreed to sell Camara to Chelsea. Everton renegotiated their deal for Balogun, and Monaco withdrew from the Camara agreement because the expected striker sale met their need to sell.
Then Balogun changed his mind and walked away from the Everton move too.
Everton missed out on their striker. Chelsea missed out on their midfielder. Monaco kept both players. Chelsea's outgoing transfer to City still went through.
There wasn't time to restart the Camara deal. In his report on Monaco pulling out, Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol said Monaco refused to sign the deal sheet before the 11pm deadline. The report described a written agreement between the clubs, but Chelsea never completed the signing.
That part belongs to Monaco. My anger at Maresca doesn't make him responsible for Monaco withdrawing or Balogun rejecting Everton. Chelsea depended on another club completing a deal while there was almost no time to find an alternative. We ended up paying for that uncertainty on the pitch.
The Money Doesn't Fill the Midfield
It feels like we've been left with no midfield. That's frustration talking. Caicedo and Lavia are still Chelsea midfielders. Caleb Sage's account of the remaining options also lists Barco and Henderson, with James able to play there.
We still lost Fernandez without signing his planned replacement. The fee is huge, but Xabi has fewer midfield options while Maresca gets the player he wanted.
I've enjoyed watching what Xabi Alonso is trying to build at Chelsea. In my July post, I wrote about the hope I had for his time here. Now I like what I'm seeing from him, and I want the club to give him enough to work with.
I don't think the results of the last few matches have done him justice. From what I've seen, he's transforming Chelsea with limited options in parts of the squad. I can see progress even when the result is frustrating, and I want us to give him time to build on it.
I still think we need another strong defender at centre back or left back, plus a strong midfielder. Relying on Jordan Henderson and Romeo Lavia to cover what we need alongside Caicedo ain't enough for me. I want more quality and depth there, so Xabi has options when someone is unavailable.
I hope Chelsea do him justice in the January transfer window by giving him the freedom to bring in the players he needs. Let him shape the squad around what he's trying to build. He's working with the gaps we left him this summer, and I want management to help him fix them.
I'm hopeful about Palestra coming back too. I liked what I saw from him at wing back in preseason. He reminds me of Marcos Alonso, but with more flair, and he's still so young. I want to see how he develops under Xabi. He's one of the players who gives me something to look forward to after this mess of a transfer window.
Chelsea Kept Their Word
The part I respect is Chelsea's decision after the Camara deal collapsed. Sky Sports reported that Chelsea could still stop Fernandez's move. They allowed it to proceed because they had given their word.
For me, that shows how big Chelsea is. They agreed a price, gave their word, and kept it even after losing the replacement they were counting on. I'm proud of that, though I wish we weren't left short because of it.
Maresca and Fernandez are snakes in my book. Chelsea let them have their reunion, kept the agreement, and now have to deal with the shortage themselves. That's a horrible end to a transfer window. It also gives me a reason to respect the club while I'm angry about what happened.
I wish both Enzos a hellish road at City. I hope their reunion brings them miserable results and seasons they'll want to forget. I'm still backing Xabi and the players who stayed.
London is blue, forever and always will be.
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