Champions League winner rips into Chelsea's record signing Enzo Fernandez over lack of work rate

After being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea were the target of much criticism, and Enzo Fernandez is among the worst hit. One of the loudest voices of disapproval has been Wesley Sneijder, a former UCL winner with Inter.

At the close of the January transfer window, Chelsea paid Benfica €121 million to acquire midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The 22-year-old signed a deal that extends for eight and a half years, all the way until 2031, like most of the club's recent acquisitions under their new ownership.

The transfer price was amortized by the club throughout the course of the contract to avoid violating Financial Fair Play regulations. Fernandez's transfer was a high-profile, high-paying deal, but he has yet to make a significant impression for the club in a season that has been marked by constant turmoil.

It's no secret that the Blues certainly aren't having the best of things right now. As if their UEFA Champions League exit wasn't bad enough, they are now in 11th place in the Premier League with just 39 points, far behind the league's stellar pack of teams vying for a spot in Europe.

What did Wesley Sneijder say about Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea?

After a 2-0 loss against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the UCL Quarter-Finals, Chelsea were eliminated from the competition. As a result, the high-priced squad has come under intense scrutiny. And Enzo Fernandez was one of the people who felt it the most because of his failure to improve the team's performance.

The central midfielder played very well at the winter's World Cup in Qatar, which his side Argentina ultimately won. However, despite him being a part of Todd Boehly's current super-team, the 2010 Champions League champion Wesley Sneijder is not persuaded of Enzo's greatness as a player since he has only provided the squad with 'sluggish play'.

"If you have been brought in as a player for €100million then you can at least expect that he will run his lungs out, right? But he walked! He loses the ball himself, then he has a moment of mourning. You see Enzo Fernandez, a €100m purchase, trudge a bit while Gallagher runs past him. You look at a boy like that and I wonder: what does he take ownership of? He doesn’t.

"I don’t think he’s a great footballer either. You [the show’s presenter] said he did it for Lionel Messi [at the World Cup]. I thought he would do it at Chelsea too, but he doesn’t. If things don’t go smoothly in football, and you’re not scoring goals, then you have to make sure you don’t concede. You have to run your lungs out, and he won’t do that", the Dutchman told RTL7.