Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has criticised the club's hierarchy for their role in Enzo Maresca's exit, admitting the departure 'hurt' the squad a great deal.
The Blues, who crashed out of the Champions League after a humbling 8-2 aggregate defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, have struggled under new head coach Liam Rosenior of late, slipping to sixth in the Premier League with just one win in their last five matches.
Maresca, just months after winning the inaugural Club World Cup with Chelsea last summer, left Stamford Bridge at the start of 2026 following disagreements with the board, paving the way for the appointment of Rosenior from Strasbourg.
The Italian coach clashed with owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital over their failure to recruit a new central defender last summer following Levi Colwill’s long-term ACL injury, and the relationship continued to deteriorate as Maresca felt he did not have the board’s full support during the early months of the season.
Speaking in the wake of Chelsea's dismal Champions League exit, Fernandez spoke to Mexican broadcaster TUDN about Maresca's exit and how it had a damaging effect on the squad.
‘I don’t understand it either,’ he said. ‘Sometimes there are things that we as players don’t understand, how and in what way they try to manage things.
‘Obviously, it was a departure that hurt us a lot because we had an identity. He gave us an order, even though, as is the way of football, sometimes it’s good and bad.
‘But he always had a very clear identity when it came to training and playing, and obviously his departure hurt us a lot, especially in the middle of the season, it cuts everything short.’
The World Cup winner also expressed doubt over his long-term future at Stamford Bridge in a separate interview with ESPN Argentina.
Asked whether he could commit to the Blues beyond the end of the season, he said: 'I don't know, I don't know.
‘There are eight games left and the FA Cup. There’s the World Cup and then we’ll see.’