Chelsea Fans Boo Enzo Fernandez

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0:34Welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC. Kay Murray, Kieran Gibbs and Shaka Hislop here in the studio. We've got to see lots of preseason friendly action today. One of those games, Chelsea against Real Sociedad. It was a game that Chelsea would win, but the big talking point coming from it are the boos that Enzo Fernandes received when he came on in the 62nd minute and was given the captain's armband. met by boos and cheers at Stamford Bridge with his future at the club up in the air. Well, so we need to talk a little bit more about this Alex Aljo. And Nadim Anua joining us now. Alex, you were close-hand at that game.

1:12Tell us a little bit more about what was going on with these boos. Was it really as bad as they say? Well, when I saw him waiting to come on Enzo Fernandez, I turned to my dad and I said, do you think he's going to get booed? And Dad said, nah, nah, definitely not. And then, yeah, there were a lot of boos as he came onto the pitch. I had to stop my five-year-old nephew from booing him. I said it wasn't very nice. But then there were other Chelsea fans singing his name as well. And within a few minutes of him being on the pitch, you realise what a top player he is. I was enjoying watching Enzo Fernandes at Stamford Bridge still because he is such a great player, isn't he?

1:48And Manchester City would love him. In regards to those boos, why is he being booed? Why do you think he's being booed? Well, there was a time last season when Chelsea were in crisis and he made it very clear that he quite fancied playing at Real Madrid. And then obviously his antics during the World Cup weren't great. And then I think obviously they realised that he'd like to play at Manchester City as well. So there are various reasons. Listen, I'm going to put this out there. I know some people don't like him, but if he's going to get booed at Chelsea, I'd happily take him at Man City. So Enzo, if you're watching, my friend, come on up.

2:22There's plenty of space. and sleep in a West Wing in my house, wherever you need my phone. Yeah, but part of the boos, it was a brilliant day at Stamford Bridge. It's strange, I must say, seeing Xabi Alonso in the Chelsea dugout. I did say that to you earlier, didn't I? Yeah, it's strange seeing Xabi there. Yeah, and we look forward to seeing how he'll do, don't we, Alex? But what did you make of these boos, Kieran? I mean, listen, I think most of it's handbags. I think people are still on a World Cup hangover. And then obviously Chelsea fans from his antics last season. But I think for me, if there's any type of player that can deal with that is someone like Enzo Fernandes.

3:00In fact, I think he's a player that thrives off of these types of situations because he's a player that needs chaos in order to perform and go out there. He's one of those players. I've come across them in my career. and I think most people will say that he's not a likeable player, but he's a player that wears his heart on his sleeve. He always gives 100%. I think he's a big miss for Chelsea if he does go. And I would say that probably City need a player like him going into this season with the situation that they're in. So, yeah, I think City would welcome him. and I think that the boos from the Chelsea fans are not as strong as, you know, when players get booed, sometimes you can just feel you know it's the end and they have to move on, but I don't think this is one of them.

3:58A little bit pantomime, Shaka? A little bit and I think part of that is because it's pre-season friendly and doesn't mean an awful lot. Fans are allowed to kind of express themselves now as much as any. You do wonder how many of these fans will be season ticket holders and present for the Stamford Bridge opener. But at the same time, you do kind of understand the fans' perspective. You know, as Alex was talking about four or five months ago, it was he wanted to live in Madrid. You can understand that. Now, you swap London for Manchester, that's a different conversation, even if it is in Neytham's West Wing.

4:36that's a more difficult pill for Chelsea fans to swallow Yeah, gold-plated everything in Nadam's West Wing So that soft transfer deadline passed yesterday obviously Enzo Fernandes is still at the club, Alex but there is a lot of talk as to where he's going to land and what's going to happen with Rodri What's the latest you guys are hearing in England? Well, we were just discussing the fact that Rodri flew on a budget airline low-cost airline, queued with everyone else to fly, man of the people so humble to fly from Madrid back to Manchester and you actually said that just sums him up as a person, he just stood there queuing with everyone else.

5:17Yeah, you know in some ways as he should, you know, we can't all fly around in private jets all the time, you know, sometimes you've got to get the right in there to take it to wherever you need to be whether you're a Ballon d 'Or winner, like World Cup player of the tournament, all that stuff, but for me, I believe that he's going to leave and I think that the bids that are coming in from Barcelona like Rodri has been quiet City relatively speaking being quiet apart from rejecting those bids and for the service that he's given to Man City there won't be many City fans you know they'll be sad to see him leave but to understand why he would want to do that for him to go back to his home country to go back at the absolute peak of his powers now and to play for a club like Barcelona with a scale that they have you know and the potential success that they want I think for him it would make sense and I think as well from a football perspective from City here's Rodri who's 30 years of age and I think it's fair to say that the way the Premier League is going now, like older players, they're slowly but surely being, not necessarily moved out as such, but not being prioritised anymore.

6:10So I could see that move coming. And if they end up getting, say,£60 million for a 30-year-old player, not only is that good business, yes, it could affect them in the short term, but they'll be planning for their future under the new manager of Maresco. Not a World Cup he had as well, right? Yeah, he wasn't tossing too bad, was he? Yeah, he was excellent. And, you know, that's why he got the player of the tournament. Obviously, some people will believe it's Messi, maybe one or two others, but he was the heartbeat and the captain of that Spain side though. You know, very much the best team in the world.

6:34Yeah, so what do you think? Enzo coming in? We know you want him to. I'm just greedy though. I just want more and more players. I think just for me, from my perspective, somebody who obviously he has had his issues, but he's got this huge drive and desire to be successful. And I think it's fair to say that, you know, he's one of Chelsea's most important players and by a long way as well. I think he's also one of those players who came in for big money at the start, but has been justified in the price, you know, so much so that the price tag isn't really concerned anymore because you understand how important he is for that team.

7:01And so if he was to leave Chelsea, it does make them weak if he comes to somewhere like City. It's not to replace Rodri in a like-for-like type situation because the two players play very differently. But in terms of like a winner for another winner, somebody that will do everything and sometimes a bit too much on the biggest occasion, you could argue. I'd still love to have it at Man City if he doesn't feel welcome at Chelsea. I think even though he was booed today at Stamford Bridge, the majority of Chelsea fans... Here we go. Here we go. do you want Enzo Fernandes to be playing for Chelsea this coming season?

7:34They would all say yes. They would all say yes. I don't know. I don't know if they would. I'm pretty sure they would. It's like I said before, like, why were they booing him today? Because the point you made about the stuff about Madrid and the rumours and all that stuff and what he said, that, relatively speaking, is a long time ago. And he played more games after that. He led them out at the FA Cup final. He was not booed there, was not jeered there. And in some ways, he was still celebrated at that point. So if this is a case of being booed around the World Cup, that's funny. Winding up the England fans.

8:01He used the song Wonderwall, didn't he, on his Instagram story? He's here playing for Chelsea. And as crazy as it may sound, not every Chelsea fan in that stadium would have been supporting England in the summer. That's true. That is true. That is a good point. So I'm not sure about that. OK, well, I'd like Enzo Fernandes to be playing for Chelsea. I love it. That's what it all comes down to. And I'm sure your dad as well would as well. Right, Alex? Yes, there we go. Yes, yes, yes. Let's take a look at some of the deals that have been done then. When it comes to PSG, one thing we've seen is their new signings.

8:29Torres coming in. We saw that one happen, didn't we? Ferran Torres from Barcelona. And Mika Gotts as well coming in from Ajax. And it would appear that there are no issues on personal terms for both Bradley Barcola to Liverpool for that deal to get done or Cody Gakpo to be going out on the way to Spurs. But both would depend on financial agreements between the clubs involved here. We're talking about two very different prices for players, though, here, Alex. obviously for Barcola it's a much bigger price than we're talking about for Cody Gakpo so that's quite the drop-off when you look at it financially.

9:07Yeah, yeah, quite the drop-off, Kate. What do you think, Nedim, is the better deal there? To be honest, from my perspective looking at Liverpool I think for the last year or so we've been talking about how the squad feels quite light and I think it's even lighter this summer so to have a player leaving whilst another one's coming It sort of makes you wonder, like, is it really going to be helping the team in the long term? Because these dudes still feel short. And I think Gakpo, for as much as, say, he doesn't get a ton of headlines, I think he was either their top or second-top goalscorer last season.

9:36So he was effective. And he can play on the left. He can play through the middle. And they need bodies around at this moment in time, with Salah going, with Vekitike being out for a while as well, you know, somebody to try and support Izak. So I think it's strange that they're allowing a player to leave to another Premier League side. If it's the case of they need to bring some money in, for me that feels like poor planning I don't understand why they need to be letting people leave go out through the door when the manager, the new manager in Areola is already saying that the squad, they need more players, they need more, but obviously somebody in Bradley Barcala, somebody that could be great in the Premier League, somebody that could be great for them in Europe as well, you know one of the shiny stars from that French team that we've seen over the last few years, but I don't know it just feels like a strange deal and I think from Liverpool's perspective obviously they were bringing in a really good player with huge potential in the Premier League but I don't love it I don't love it just because Gakpo has to leave for it to happen that's the reason you don't love it that's the reason I don't love it I think Barca by himself would be a great sign I think something Liverpool can help what does he give this Liverpool team that they don't already have um I think when you see the likes of Salah leaving now with that speed and sort of energy on that right hand side and the goals that he can score you've got somebody on the left hand side in Barca who can go inside can go down the line I think somebody's finishing can be really good and his assist play can be good as well and when the game becomes stretched there aren't many defenders I don't know if Kieran you'd agree or like the way that I see this I wouldn't want to be coming up against the likes of Bradley Barclay in the final 10 15 20 minutes of a game of football I mean not many people would yeah that's what I mean so when there's a game that Liverpool need that sort of x-factor I think he's somebody that can provide that I think obviously he can still work within a system because for PSG they very much have that he's good at pressing he's got good size about him as well in terms of dealing with the physicality of the football that you see in the Premier League so I think he would be potentially a really, really good signing and with more coaching, because he's still only young as well, something to remember, then he can continue to evolve his game to suit the English style of things, I would say.

11:26So I do like it, in terms of him as a player, and for Liverpool bringing him in. But like I say, I just don't see why it has to be one for one. No, not having that. Just keep Gakpo. Just keep him. Let's talk about how it can look financially, because it does look because Barcola would cost a lot more than they would sell Gakpo off for. The Barcola asking price we're looking at between$120 to$145 million. Gakpo,$70 to$75 million. So the Gakpo sale would cover approximately half of what they're asking for Barcola. So that's why this is coming up. And from that perspective, at the very least, it makes sense.

12:08And while I know there's under a different manager, let's remember how much money Liverpool spent last season. I'm with Nadam in the sense that having Cody Gagpo in a squad that at times was very thin last season, does Liverpool the world of good. The thing for me, from a Cody Gagpo perspective, is at times he felt like a bit-fart player, as a squad player. And I feel moving to Spurs, he's treated differently, he's seen differently, and he probably feels differently in his own standing within that squad. So as a player, it makes a whole lot of sense for him to make that move down to London. But again, just kind of using that as the excuse or using that funding to bring in Barcola doesn't do enough or doesn't add up.

13:04I'm a huge fan of Barcola. I think he's an outstanding talent. I'm just not seeing the 140, 150, whatever it is PSG are asking. Bar Kohlfer, as talented as he is, at times between him and Dewey, you weren't quite sure who was going to be the out-and-out starter. And Luis Enrique kind of swapped between the two. So now you're paying$150 million for a young player, 24 years old. But who was not a guaranteed starter in, albeit, European champions PSG? That's a lot of money, in my opinion, for somebody who wasn't a 100 % nail-on starter in the club that he was coming from. Is he a risk worth taking?

13:51I think he is. I just don't think that there's that many players in the world like him currently. And sometimes you have to take that gamble. Listen, I don't think for a minute that he's going to come in and start producing Mo Salah numbers. But I think in terms of ability, he has what it takes to go and move to the Premier League and become a star. So I think when you have an inflated market, you have to take calculated risks. I agree with Nadam and Xhaka in terms of offloading a Cody Gakpo in order to get this move done. I think Cody was quietly clutch, actually, for Liverpool last season. You can't take anyone at Liverpool last season for face value, in my opinion.

14:45I think it was such a unique season for them emotionally with what happened at the beginning of the season with Jota. And then you had the Salah saga. which disrupted the team tremendously, in my opinion. So for me, I find it a little bit strange, like the guys said, that they would let Cody Gappo go to Spurs. Great move for Spurs. But yeah, ultimately, I think the risk for Bradley Bar-Cola is worth taking. If you're a small business, the right hire can make or break. Hoping the right people see your job posting isn't the best growth strategy. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs.

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17:42Arsenal are favourites coming into this one. They always call it the traditional curtain raiser. but Alex tell us a little bit more tell us a little bit more about what we can expect and what we're looking at for tomorrow's game Well Kay the last time the Community Shield was played here their Principality Stadium in Cardiff was 2006 so 20 years ago so I can't remember it of course far too young but you have good memories of that year tell us about them so for me actually When I was younger, I used to go to FA Cup finals. And unfortunately, Xhaka, I remember the one that was also here 20 years ago.

18:25West Ham playing against Liverpool. And I was in this stadium watching you, unfortunately, not be able to quite get your fingertips to a shot from quite far out. Any need? Wow. Absolutely no need to bring that up. That is just thrown in. Totally unnecessary. No. This is Alex's fault. She told me I needed to say this. She said when you stick the knife and you twist it and then you pull it out. So yeah, that did happen 20 years ago. But it's good to be back here to see it again. And obviously this game is so interesting just because if a team loses it, you say it doesn't matter. If your team wins it, of course it matters.

19:08They tend to go on to win the league, the team that loses it in recent years. Yeah, but then it's a long way to come to say you're okay with losing as well. This is true. And I think what makes it tricky as well this year is the fact that it's coming off the back of a tournament again I think last year you had the club walk up But that didn't affect say everyone but now you know from an Arsenal perspective from Man City perspective some of your key players Have only been back maybe a week So how do you really get a feel for like where the team is at? Well you do that with the players that have been here for the longest But some of those guys might not necessarily be the ones who are going to be key for the club going forward But I think for any fan that travels across here, how far is it from 212 kilometres as the crow flies Do you know that in miles?

19:45I don't know it in miles. OK, no problem. No problem. No problem. And I'll tell you, it's a long way from Manchester. It is a long way from Manchester. So if you get a chance to come here and, you know, watch your team do well, City under a new coach as well. Yeah, I was going to say, it feels strange to say it's Mikel Arteta up against Enzo Mureska and not Pep Guardiola. Mikel Arteta, the longest server manager in the Premier League now, I believe. So things have certainly changed around this game in the Premier League itself. And I think from my perspective as a City supporter, So it's just going to be interesting to see how Mareska is going to try to do it.

20:14And obviously I want them to win, but it's just going to be one of those occasions where you just try and get a feel for it, see how they compete against the good side, you know, deserving champions from last year and sort of get a feel for what this rivalry is going to be like going forward. And we know Enzo Mareska has pretty large shoes to fill. We're fully aware of Pep's winning mentality that he instilled in that team. Do you think it's more important in a way for Enzo Mareska that he can start the season with a trophy? possibly possibly i think any chance you get to lift a trophy in an occasion like this like you know these are the two teams that are here for a reason you know it's not just purely invitation just randomly done or whatever so i think it will matter them potentially trying to lift any fans and mareska starts this campaign with lifting a trophy beating arsenal beating the champions and as we saw with the odds there like city are underdogs that's been such a rare thing to say across this last 10 years but city are underdogs for this game and you can kind of see why based on, say, changes with the manager and so on.

21:10So, Mureska, yes, he wants to test himself far. He wants to see whether he can get the best out of the players and do it in a big stadium at least on a big occasion to start the season off. So, I think if the City were to win, yes, it would matter. It would matter quite a lot. And I think for Arsenal, it's just different now. Like, it's going to be weird. I'm sure Kieran's delighted with this. Like, Arsenal, no one's talking about them winning the league anymore. They've done it, you know, for 20-odd years. They've been like, yeah, but come on. You know, you've not won the league, have you? But, yes, a different sort of pressure for them, different pressure for Mureska.

21:37and yes, if City were to win, I'm sure Mureska would be very happy about it, but he's realistic. He's young-ish as a manager, but he's not naive and this is just the start of his journey. And you mentioned that a lot of those players have played a huge amount of minutes over the summer. They haven't had much of a holiday. Do you think we'll see the likes of Erling Haaland starting? He'll want to start, won't he? Yeah, without question. It's a tough one to read that because this is essentially also So the last chance they have to play a game before the season starts next week. And you want those players to be available for their first game.

22:11I believe it's against Bournemouth next week. So these games do matter. But you don't want to treat it like a pre-season game because it's clearly not that. But I've seen in the past, I think it was two years ago, Manu La Kanji played against Manchester United in the Community Shield then. And I think he'd been training maybe two or three days. And I think even two years ago as well, I think some of the United players like Kobe Mayne, who was playing in the Community Shield after England, made it to the final of that tournament as well. So I think for some managers, they see this as being an important game to get the players having to run out and to do the best that they can.

22:43And they're arriving with good fitness. They've only had maybe three weeks off some of these guys. So I don't think they'll play. I don't think they'll play. But in reality, from Morescu's perspective, I think we'll get a feel for what he's going to be like as a coach based on the team that he selects tomorrow. Because if he wants to go out and try and win, And it might be about picking the players who have actually gone through preseason. But if he's understanding about, say, getting ready for the season itself, maybe you see some of those more experienced players who maybe aren't at their best.

23:11Speaking of being at your best, Mikel Arteta did say in his pre-match press conference that his players are going to be at their best tomorrow, which is hard to believe, isn't it, at this stage of the season when they are tired after long summers at the World Cup. A lot of them, they've got three World Cup winners in the squad. But what about Bruno Gimaraes? What a signing. Just how good is that signing? Yeah, I think it's a brilliant signing. I think you've got somebody who has been key for Newcastle across these last few years as they would go on to win a trophy to be playing in the Champions League, somebody who was captain of the football club.

23:44And I think for you as a team like Arsenal to be able to reinforce your side by signing a Premier League captain, that's a huge statement. And I think to do it, we were talking before about the price of Bradley Barclay and so on, to do it for£75 million, relatively speaking, almost feels like it could be a steal for them. You're going to be getting potentially the best years for him. And Gimres gets a chance to test himself at the very top of the league again. But you get the feeling he's going to be capable based on what you've seen so far. So, yeah, it's a great signing for them. It'll be interesting to see how they manage to do it.

24:13Because, you know, a year ago, all the emphasis on, you know, they've got Zuby Mendy, they've got Rice, they've got Odegaard. How do you think they do it? Does he play alongside Declan Rice? I think he plays alongside Declan Rice. I think come the end of last season and also this summer for Spain, Zubimendi almost became a non-event which seems crazy considering how they were crying out for that position say a year ago, so I think they will play alongside each other in that manner and then Arteta what he's got now and what he might struggle with at some point is having too many options because you know he could go for an old guard, he could go for an Eze, he could be playing at Habits there.

24:44The squad depth is just ridiculous on another level. But that's the test though, that's the test because sometimes you can say that this is a great thing to have, squad depth is brilliant but how do you manage the disappointment of so many players on a week-to-week basis and sort of keep the momentum and everybody feeling happy as you try and, you know, achieve what you believe you can achieve. Poor Mikel Arteta. I know. Cry more for Mikel. Poor Mikel Arteta. Poor fella. Get ready, Alex. You'll be walking in there with a Manchester City celebrity tomorrow. It is a sight to behold. Yep, yep. Fans queuing for his autograph right now.

25:13You can't see that, but they're waiting to speak to him, I think, after this. Yeah, we've seen it all. So we'll be looking forward to hearing a lot more from Alex and Nader tomorrow. from the Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City. And Kieran will be back tomorrow for the coverage of that game. So you'll get to hear a lot more from Kieran on what he'll be looking out for with this Arsenal side in this game. Sunday, 10 a.m. Eastern. But the coverage will begin at 9.30 Eastern on ESPN Plus, on ESPN2. In fact, it's across the network on ESPN, the FA Community Shield. From first call to final invoice, Service Titan is the only integrated intelligence that automates your entire workflow.

25:55Built for visionaries, ready to stop operating and start automating their success. Service Titan, AI for the trades. Shohei Otani's interpreter was fired today. Ipe Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation. The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball. He was absolutely bananas, the amount of bets he was making. I've never seen anyone like it. From 30 for 30 Podcasts, this is The Betrayal of Shohei Otani. Presented by Gusto. New episodes available now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.