Enzo Fernandez has done nothing to justify his £100million price tag and Raheem Sterling’s days as a ‘Top Six’ starter may be over.
That’s the view of ex-England international Darren Bent, who has hit out at the form of two of the Blues‘ key players.
Fernandez made the move to Stamford Bridge for a then-British record of £104m in the 2023 winter transfer window, but has struggled for consistency.
Meanwhile Sterling, who joined from Manchester City for £50m just months earlier, has fallen down the pecking order under Mauricio Pochettino.
And the duo aren’t delivering on their hefty fees in the eyes of Bent following the Blues’ 5-0 mauling at the hands of Arsenal in Tuesday night’s London derby.
Speaking of Argentina midfielder Fernandez on talkSPORT Drive, Bent said: “Chelsea at the minute look toothless, some of the performances from their team…
“Enzo Fernandez, £100m-plus, I need someone to tell me, and I know the argument will be someone will phone up or message in and go, ‘He’s won the World Cup’.
“But, tell me what he does well? Because he’s not a holder, because he has no idea what’s going on behind him in terms of defensively.
“He’s not someone who assists and creates opportunities for his teammates, his pass appreciation is awful, even his pass decision making is awful.
“And the biggest cheer he got last night [at the Emirates], is someone passing him the ball, and he started doing some stupid roll with his studs, rolling it forward and back, a bit showboaty when they were 4-0 down.
2
“And all the Arsenal fans went, ‘Whey’, they cheered him, it got rolled back to him, he did it again, they cheered him again. Embarrassing.”
As for Sterling, Bent was pressed by co-host Andy Goldstein at what level of team the winger could join after becoming a peripheral figure of late under Pochettino.
To which he remarked: “He might be there for a while, but I still think there are a number of teams in the Premier League that would take him.
“He’s not going to go to Arsenal or Liverpool – he was there – he’s not going to City – he was there, I’m not even sure [Aston] Villa would take him.
“West Ham would take him I think, but then they’ve got [Mohammed] Kudus and [Jarrod] Bowen.
“So I’m looking, where does he start? What level does he go in and start straight away?
“Wolves maybe on the left potentially he would start, but I’m not disrespecting Wolves here, they’ve got some good players.”
Asked by Goldstein whether his days of starting for a ‘Top Six’ side are over, Bent stated: “I wouldn’t say his days are gone, but right now, I can’t see that happening.”