Ex-England player Chris Waddle claims that new Chelsea signing Enzo Fernandez isn’t much of an improvement on Jorginho

Fernandez effectively replaced the Italian, who was sold to Arsenal last month, but Waddle says the Argentinian international has pretty similar attributes:

“He’s a player who works hard, he’s a very good passer of the ball, he keeps the ball very well. He’s got a few different attributes than Jorginho had or Mateo Kovacic. I wouldn’t say he was streets ahead of them, so time will tell.”

“Chelsea will be good, because the players that they have signed are good players, but it’s going to take time which is why I’m waiting for them to kick in. Would I say they’ve spent too much money on him? I’d probably say that about a lot of players. For me, he’s got to score goals, he’s got to make goals, he’s got to be an unbelievable player all over the park.”

At 21 years of age, you wouldn’t expect Fernandez to be levels above a player like Jorginho, who (let’s not forget) was integral to Chelsea winning the Champions League and Italy securing the European Championship less than two years ago.

Of course, you do see where Waddle is coming from, as you’d expect to be getting off your seat every time Fernandez is on the ball, considering how much he cost.

However, Chelsea have decided to invest in potential. £107m is undoubtedly a very steep figure for any player but, if Fernandez becomes an established starter for the Blues for the next ten years, the investment will be more than worth it.