Sam Allardyce delivers verdict on Chelsea record signing Enzo Fernandez.

Chelsea paid a record £107 million to sign world cup winner Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on the transfer window deadline day. The move to Chelsea made Enzo Fernandez the most expensive player in Premier League history.

The west London club had to beat Manchester City and Liverpool competition to sign Enzo Fernandes from Benfica. The 22-year-old made his debut for Chelsea in their goalless draw with Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Friday, 3 February.

However, former England manager Sam Allardyce has raised concern about Enzo Fernande’s move to Chelsea, claiming he was not Graham Potter’s first choice.

What did Sam Allardyce say about Chelsea’s signing of Enzo Fernandez?

The former Everton and West Brom manager said on William Hill and Footy Accumulators’ podcast, No Tippy Tappy Football: “Chelsea’s signing of Enzo Fernandez worries me.

“What if it doesn’t work? What a commitment it is for eight years because, obviously, the league hasn’t shut that loophole down yet.

“It’s £107 million – it’s a huge risk for the club, and particularly for the manager [Graham Potter], who will get the blame if it doesn’t work. I don’t think Fernandez was his choice.

“I doubt the player was his first choice, but that’s how the top works now. You are not really the manager anymore, you are just a coach, and you accept these players and try and do your best with them.”

Despite Chelsea playing a goalless draw on the night against Fulham, Enzo Fernandes was one of the top performers for the home side against Fulham.

Reacting to Enzo Fernandez’s debut performance for Chelsea against Fulham, Graham Potter said: “Really good considering he’s not been in the country very long, and he doesn’t know us, and we don’t know him so well in terms of working daily.

“But I think you could see flashes of his quality, his personality is there, and he’ll get better and better the more we work with him.”

He added: “Yeah, it was. I thought he handled himself magnificently.

“Tough game, but you could see his quality. You could see what he’ll bring to the team.

“It’s not easy for him or for us because he hasn’t been with us that long, but I think you’ll see how good he can be and how much he can influence the team – so I’m excited with him.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has hailed Chelsea’s January signings Benoit Badiashile and Enzo Fernandez.

In an interview with Chelsea’s official website, the Spaniard said: “Enzo arrived yesterday, had one training session, and then played 90 minutes. I think everyone saw his quality and how well he played. He is a big player for us, and hopefully, he can help us a lot.

“Benoit is a really good guy, very calm and has big quality with the ball. He’s also strong in the air, he’s having a great impact on the team and hopefully we can keep doing this.”