Chelsea fans reach Valentin Barco verdict during debut vs Luton Town

He may have received a hostile reception from the travelling Luton Town supporters but that didn't stop Valentin Barco from producing a superb individual display on his Chelsea debut.

The 22-year-old, who joined Chelsea from BlueCo-owned Strasbourg this month for a reported £34 million, started in midfield for Xabi Alonso's side alongside Reece James.

In the opening stages, Barco's every touch was met by loud boos from the Luton away support. In fact, even a section of home fans got involved, a consequence of his actions at this summer's World Cup.

For those who didn't see it, Barco raced onto the pitch to celebrate Lautaro Martinez’s injury-time winner and could be seen goading England players before Argentina went on to secure their place in the final.

As a result, his introduction to English football was hardly the most welcoming on Thursday night, although his performance has certainly got Chelsea fans purring.

Barco, who played more accurate through balls than any other player in Europe's top five leagues last season, was involved in Danny Welbeck's opener, as well as their second, and showed his trademark tenacity in midfield.

He also looked tidy in possession, completing 97 of his 104 passes while creating two big chances.

It may have been through gritted teeth, but plenty of fans were impressed with his performance, with one saying: "Everything (Adam) Wharton can do, Barco as well and this is not me exaggerating."

A second wrote: "Valentin Barco was crucial to the first goal, gets stuck in with a tackle, releases Palmer who plays in Estevao. Brilliant debut from him."

A third commented: "It's Luton, but Valentin Barco is a star. He's a Chelsea level player," and a fourth said: "I’ve seen enough of Barco, we have already upgraded on Enzo Fernandez."

A fifth added: "Cole Palmer was superb again tonight and deserves MOTM. But I’d have given it to Valentin Barco myself. He dictated the play for Chelsea and set the tempo. Technically sound but also tough in the tackle. May well surprise a few this season."

Valentin Barco could be a solid Enzo Fernandez replacement if his compatriot leaves

Against Luton, Barco showed he can thrive without Enzo Fernandez, who looks set to leave Stamford Bridge after being left out of Xabi Alonso's squad for Thursday's game.

Fernandez is being heavily linked with Manchester City, a move which would see the midfielder reunite with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.

Maresca has identified the £120m-rated Fernandez as a priority target following the departure of Rodri, who recently joined Barcelona, and City are expected to make an offer before next week's deadline.

This week, Enzo Maresca said he hopes to add "a captain" to his squad before the end of the transfer window. “We have experienced players, for sure we have leaders,” he said.

"Now we need to wait 4-5 days for when the transfer window closes also to see if we can add one or two more captains to Ruben [Dias] and Erling [Haaland], at the moment they are the two captains."