Fernandez Joins Manchester City For Record £125m, Maresca Confirms
· Sports · BBC Sport
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said four or five first-team players had asked the club about the status of Enzo Fernandez's transfer in the final days of the window, eager to play alongside him. The Argentina international joined City from Chelsea for a joint-British record £125m on deadline day and could debut against Coventry City at the Etihad on Saturday. Maresca confirmed Ruben Dias as the new captain, replacing departed Bernardo Silva, with Erling Haaland, Marc Guehi and Gianluigi Donnarumma in the leadership group. City spent a club-record £458m on new signings, headlined by a revamped midfield of Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi, funded by more than £300m in player sales. Former Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said talks with Fernandez could not change the player's mind, which had been set on leaving Stamford Bridge since the turn of the year.
Why it matters
The £125m move and City-record £458m summer spend reshape the Premier League title race, putting immediate pressure on Pep Guardiola's side to justify the outlay; Fernandez's debut and the new leadership group will signal how quickly the rebuilt squad gels.
Read the original report — BBC Sport
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