Benfica boss Roger Schmidt took a subtle dig at the departed Enzo Fernandez by declaring he is happy to be left with a squad full of players with exemplary attitudes.
After a month of twists and turns, Chelsea finally secured the British record transfer of the Argentina World Cup star during the closing stages of a frantic deadline day.
Having appeared resigned to losing out on the 22-year-old earlier in the window, negotiations resumed on Monday and ended in success for Todd Boehly last night as the Blues agreed to pay the midfielder’s release clause of £106.4m.
The transfer eclipses Jack Grealish’s £100m move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in the summer of 2021, making Fernandez the most expensive signing in Premier League history.
Benfica fought tooth and nail to retain the services of a player they only signed from River Plate just over six months ago.
Fernandez shot to prominence at the World Cup where he won the award for the tournament’s best young player as Argentina and Lionel Messi triumphed for the first time since 1986.
The all-action midfielder’s performances in Qatar put him firmly on the radar of Europe’s elite clubs but only Chelsea in the current climate boasted the financial capabilities to pull off a deal in January.
Benfica, meanwhile, have been left to lick their wounds but Schmidt insists they are well placed to cope without a player who was happy to defect after less than one full season at the club.
Speaking after last night’s 3-0 win over Arouca, Schmidt said: ‘We talked about it [with Rui Costa], the deal is done, it’s part of football but what matters is Benfica.
‘Today I’m not going to talk about players who are no longer here.
‘I’m happy with the players who are here, I like the team. attitude, and patience, they enjoy playing for Benfica.
‘Benfica is a fantastic club and we are enjoying playing for Benfica immensely and we have tried everything to make the fans happy and in the end become champions.’
MORE : Benfica confirm Chelsea’s Premier League record €121m deal for Enzo Fernandez
MORE : Hakim Ziyech’s Paris Saint-Germain move appears to fall through after Chelsea paperwork blunder
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