Danny Murphy has hit out at Chelsea for “overspending” in the January transfer window after claiming two Premier League midfielders are better than new signing Enzo Fernandez.
Chelsea opened their war chest and released funds for Blues manager Graham Potter to significantly improve his squad depth with a spree of new acquisitions.
The Premier League club broke the British-record transfer fee on deadline day to snap up World Cup-winning Argentine Fernandez from Benfica for a fee of £107m.
Chelsea’s deal for Fernandez eclipsed the staggering £100m transfer fee that Manchester City splashed out on Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in 2021.
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Transfermarkt revealed that Chelsea’s spending cost an eye-watering £289m, with the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Fernandez and Benoit Badiashile arriving at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Murphy insisted that Chelsea are “overpaying” for their signings and claimed a majority of them wouldn’t make the Manchester City XI.
The talkSPORT pundit also claimed that Manchester United midfielder Casemiro and City maestro Rodri are both better than Fernandez.
“I think they are overpaying for players and I still don’t think the majority of their first XI gets anywhere near City’s team,” Murphy said.
“Not really [impressed].”
He added: “I watched a few of his games live. He’s decent, but not worth £100m. They’ve been absolutely bent over there.
“He’s a good midfielder, tenacious, young, gets on the ball and is brave. But he’s not Rodri, not Casemiro.
“They are overspending on players and people are seeing them coming and they are taking their pants down.”
Casemiro has been hailed for his midfield impact in his debut season at Old Trafford after his stunning £70m move from Real Madrid last summer.
Rodri has been a crucial influence in the City midfield as Pep Guardiola’s men keep pace with Arsenal in the Premier League title race this season.
United legend Rio Ferdinand praised Fernandez for his impact at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and admitted he would be surprised if he “isn’t a success” at Chelsea.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents Five, he said: “Bad player, wicked player! He’s got it. He’s a good player. I’d be surprised if he comes in and isn’t a success.
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“He’s a top player. He was the best young player at the tournament in the World Cup, I thought. He was integral for them.
“His passing, his composure for a young player was top and he won’t be fazed if he handled the World Cup the way he did.
“He played at Benfica a big club in that country and the demands at the club, he’s used to pressure. The money is irrelevant if you look at it and think he could be here for five or six years. Chelsea are on a mad one.”
Topics: Danny Murphy, Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea, Premier League, England, Football
Adnan Riaz