Chelsea Fans Boo Fernández During Pre-Season Win

Enzo Fernández faced boos from some Chelsea fans as he returned to Stamford Bridge for the club’s 3-1 pre-season win against Real Sociedad on Saturday.

This reaction came just a day after Chelsea's own transfer deadline passed. The club now plans to keep the midfielder, even though he wanted to leave earlier in the summer.

Chelsea played well under new manager Xabi Alonso. João Pedro scored twice, continuing his strong pre-season form. Morgan Rogers also scored in his first game for the club.

But Fernández's reception took away from the excitement of the evening.

The Argentina international wanted to join Real Madrid earlier this summer, but the Spanish club stopped their interest. His agents also spoke with Manchester City, but there was no offer to meet Chelsea’s £120 million asking price before the Friday deadline of 17:00 BST.

Some Chelsea fans made their feelings clear even before the match started, according to BBC Sport. Fernández was booed when his name was announced about 45 minutes before kick-off.

The stadium announcer chose not to read the substitutes' names before kick-off. Still, there were more boos when Fernández came on the pitch in the 62nd minute. Some fans cheered him, showing mixed feelings.

Support from within the Chelsea team was also noticeable. When Reece James was taken off, he gave the captain’s armband to Fernández, showing he is still valued in the squad.

Every time Fernández touched the ball, he got a mix of boos and cheers. Some fans even cheered when he was fouled.

This reaction comes after a summer where Fernández openly wanted to move to Real Madrid. His agent, Javier Pastore, said the midfielder is underpaid.

Chelsea looks set to keep Fernández for now. Alonso bringing him on and letting him wear the armband shows that the midfielder is still part of his plans.

Fernández may face more scrutiny when the Premier League season starts. This is especially after his controversial celebrations and social media posts following Argentina’s World Cup semi-final win over England in 2022.

Manchester City might still show interest before the Premier League transfer deadline on 1 September. But for now, Fernández is still a Chelsea player.

Both Fernández and Alonso need to make sure this transfer saga does not distract them as Chelsea gets ready for the new season.