Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has praised Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez for his "captain" qualities during a key moment against Arsenal over the weekend. The World Cup winner has impressed since making his £105million move to Stamford Bridge from Benfica in a late January move.
It came with plenty of eyebrows raised, given the fact that he had only been playing in Europe for six-months at that point as well as the Portuguese side paying a fraction of the fee he joined the Blues for. There were hopes that the arrival would add quality to a side that was struggling.
Fernandez was unable to turn Chelsea's fortunes around, with the team dropping towards a 12th-placed finish last season after facing plenty of issues. There were signs that the signing would have a successful time though, with the team to be built around him for the future.
Another summer of incomings has followed and while it's been a slow start, performances and results have started to pick up in recent weeks. The latest test for Mauricio Pochettino was taking on rivals Arsenal, who have lofty ambitions of winning the league this season.
An impressive performance saw Chelsea take a two-goal lead and keep the Gunners at arms length, but a late surge from the away side ended in a 2-2 draw. While there will be disappointment over the result, there are plenty of positives to take for a side on their journey.
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There was one moment that stood out for some as Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling argued over which player would take the penalty for the opening goal. Fernandez was the mediator that ensured there was peace, telling the two former City players to settle it and give the chance to Palmer.
It was a moment that Carragher pointed towards in Monday Night Football on Sky Sports, saying: "I don’t really like that [players arguing for a penalty]. I think people should know before the game who the penalty taker is. But what I did like was the authority shown by Enzo Fernandez.
"For a young player, he is saying to a seasoned professional in Raheem Sterling that Cole Palmer is taking it, in almost that cool manner. It was almost captain-like or someone in their early 30’s. It was really interesting and it was good to see Cole Palmer score to go along with his performance."
It remains to be seen if Fernandez will one day wear the armband, but a squad of leaders will certainly help lead the club in the right direction once again.