PAUL MERSON believes Enzo Fernandez has told Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior he wants to LEAVE the club after he axed the Argentine from his squad.
Rosenior revealed Fernandez had been dropped for Chelsea‘s clashes against Port Vale and Man City after he talked up a move to Real Madrid.
The midfielder has come under fire in recent weeks after reportedly irking his team-mates over his conduct.
Before the international break, he gave an interview refusing to shut down speculation linking him with an exit this summer.
Fernandez doubled down on those claims this week after suggesting he wanted to experience life in Madrid.
Rosenior said “a line was crossed” after Fernandez also hit out at the board and their decision to sack Enzo Maresca in a separate interview.
And Sky Sports pundit Merson believes there must be more to their row after being exiled from squad.
The Arsenal legend – who supports Chelsea – said: “I think more’s gone on than that. I think Enzo has sat down with him and told him I want to leave.
“I’ve seen Cucurella have a meeting with him. But Enzo has gone in and said I want to leave.
“One thing you have to do as a manager is never chop your nose off to spite your face.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
“Let the fans look after that situation. Not you. The fans will let you know if they are unhappy with Enzo. But play him on the pitch.
“He is one of Chelsea’s best players. It’s disappointing as a Chelsea fans, and it’s only good news for Man City.”
Fernandez is Chelsea’s vice-captain and has played in all but two of their Premier League games this season.
But he has appeared increasingly disillusioned with life at the club and said “we’ll see” when asked about his future after Chelsea’s Champions League exit to PSG.
He later told Argentine outlet LuzuTV: “I always tell Valu that if I have to choose a city to live in Europe, I really like Madrid. It’s very similar to Buenos Aires.”
And speaking about Maresca’s exit, he told Mexican broadcaster TUDN: “I don’t understand it. Sometimes there are things that we as players don’t understand, how and in what way they try to manage things.
“Obviously, it was a departure that hurt us a lot … especially in the middle of the season, it cuts everything short.
Explaining his decision to axe Fernandez, Rosenior said: “We spoke with Enzo an hour ago. “As a football club, with me as part of that process, we’ve made a decision.
“He won’t be available for tomorrow’s game and he won’t be available for Manchester City on Sunday.
“I think for Enzo, it’s disappointing to speak in that way. What I will say about Enzo is in terms of him as a character, as a person, I’ve got no bad words to say about him.
“But I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction and that was a decision we’ve made.”
