Enzo Fernandes Fernandes moves to Manchester City for £125m in a club record deal

Perhaps the only thing you really need to know about the midfield position in modern football is that Enzo Maresca believes Marc Guehi is better at it than Mateo Kovacic! Guehi, originally a defender, started the season playing in Manchester City's midfield, ahead of Maresca's options ahead of Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez (now gone), and Mateus Nunez. In this context, the transfer of Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for 125 million pounds sterling, a record in the club’s history, can be viewed from two angles: either it is a strong deal that announces the club’s intentions to be a fierce competitor, or it is a huge sum paid to sign a player to be a replacement for Guihi!

I'm joking of course! In fact, Fernandes is very different from Guehi as a midfielder, mainly because the Argentine is a really good midfielder. He is a player capable of playing in more than one position and performing more than one task inside the green rectangle. He goes back to receive the ball from the goalkeeper or the two central defenders to build attacks. He is able to recycle the ball or advance it in tight spaces, penetrate into the attacking third as an attacking midfielder, infiltrate the penalty area, and present a major offensive threat to the opponents’ goal. Like Elliot Anderson, who joined from Nottingham Forest for £116m, Fernandes is one of a new generation of midfielders in the Premier League who seem to give it all, albeit with mediocre skills, and whose most notable trait appears to be a lack of adventure in the game!

This is the only way to explain the excessive amount that Manchester City paid for Chelsea in a race in which Manchester City was the only realistic competitor to sign the player. Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller - to name just one example - is a similar midfielder of the same age and would have been available for half the price. But unlike Steeler, Fernandes has extensive experience, has already proven his worth in the Premier League, and is well known. Whatever his shortcomings - from his slow recovery from injuries to his bouts of anger and fanaticism that cost him dearly - they did not affect the great value of his transfer to Manchester City.

Thus, Fernandes becomes the first player in history to transfer twice for more than 100 million pounds, and will also renew cooperation with Manchester City coach Maresca, who had left Chelsea last January. The signing of the Argentine international reflects City’s desire to strengthen its midfield after finishing last season in second place in the English Premier League, seven points behind champions Arsenal. Fernandes comes to the Etihad Stadium after a distinguished season with Chelsea in 2025-2026, during which he scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in various competitions, ranking second on the team’s top scorers list behind Joao Pedro. He also played a prominent role with the Argentine national team in the 2026 World Cup, scoring decisive goals in the round of 16 and the semi-finals, before his country settled for second place behind Spain.

In fact, if there is one theme that has characterized the 2026 summer transfer market, it is that the prices of Premier League players have been skyrocketing, especially players who have already successfully adapted to the league and who have competed in the competition before. Manchester United have signed Andre Santos, Carlos Paleba and Youri Tielemans in a relatively quiet summer. Tottenham spent everything they could to include Sandro Tonali (92.5 million pounds sterling) and Matthews Fernandes (85 million pounds sterling). In this context, Arsenal's deal to sign Bruno Guimarães for £75 million looks very cheap!

However, these are sums that would have raised eyebrows in any other summer transfer window in the Premier League, and such large sums of money would have been acceptable had they been paid to superstars and exceptional players. With all due respect to everyone, do any of the midfielders signed by Premier League clubs this summer rise to the level of Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, Lampard, Gerrard, De Bruyne or Kante? Perhaps the irony of this summer is that the most expensive generation of midfielders in the history of the Premier League is also - relatively speaking - one of the most humble.

As proof of this, prepare your own list of the best midfielders in the world, and calculate how many of them play in the English Premier League. With a few exceptions, you'll find that the best midfielders play in other leagues: Vitinha and Joao Neves at Paris Saint-Germain, Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid, Pedro and Rodri at Barcelona, ​​and Joshua Kimmich at Bayern Munich. You can also add Frenkie de Jong, Fabian Ruiz, Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouamini, and Warren Zaire Emery.

As for the English Premier League, there are Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, Bruno Fernandes, and perhaps two other players. Enzo is a brilliant player, Matthews is a promising player, and Paleba has performed exceptionally well in short periods. But for a league that is considered the richest and most attractive in the world, the absence of exceptional talent in midfield - especially creative talent - is not just an anomaly, but a defect that may turn into a chronic disease.

The inclusion of Mariska Leguihi in the midfield, although it represents a clear message to the Manchester City management, perfectly embodies this problem. The Italian coach said: “This country and this league need strong midfielders,” and by strength he meant physical strength, determination, the ability to tackle, skill in using the shoulders and elbows, and strong players who have the ability to cover every inch of the field. Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, who are over 30 and have moved to slower leagues, are no longer able to do this. In this league, running and tackling have become more important than passing, and Dominik Soboslaj has become Liverpool's most important player thanks to his ability to position himself on the field more than he is a player capable of doing anything once the ball reaches him.

However, while physical strength is one element of the equation, it is by no means the only element. For football officials, subject to the desires of fickle owners and sensitive to public opinion, established players provide a kind of security. Signing a well-known player for a large sum reduces the risk of reputational damage. When Arsenal spend £72 million to sign Nicolas Pepe and it doesn't work out, Arsenal is blamed. And when Manchester City spend £100m on Jack Grealish and it doesn't work out, one way or another the blame is placed on Grealish! The same goes for Anderson, Fernandez or Morgan Rogers, none of whom have proven themselves, but who are at least responsible for their failure, which in the world of management might be considered one thing. You end up with a vicious circle, a race in which the goal is not to sign the most suitable player for the right amount, but to exploit market fluctuations, and where inefficiency and extravagance are seen as evidence of ambition. In fact, the market will reward you for it: Chelsea signs Alejandro Garnacho, offers nothing, and later sells him to Aston Villa for a small profit! What might discourage you from continuing this approach for as long as possible?

Sometimes, it seems as if the Premier League has become nothing more than a tool for buying and selling players. Fatigue has not yet appeared as a result of participating in the World Cup, but playing in a high-pressure style in four or five tournaments will soon become impossible. According to data from the New York Times, the English Premier League is still characterized by higher speeds than other major five leagues, but this trend is declining here while rising elsewhere. Perhaps this season will be the season in which the long-awaited spirit of cohesion, skill, training and creativity returns!

I previously conducted an interview with a youth coach who has a long history of promoting players to the English Premier League, and he expressed to me his regret that youth academies began to neglect technical skills in favor of promoting “800-meter runners”! This season feels like a pivotal season for English football, a test of identities and values, and a measure of what it ultimately wants to be. Will English football be the fastest and most ferocious, or the best and most beautiful? If Mark Guehi moves for £150m when the next transfer window opens, we'll know the answer to that question!