Why selling Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto would be a big mistake by Chelsea

[p]The Blues have become the talk of every transfer window over the past few years and with good reason.[/p][h2]Transfer decisions at Chelsea have made little sense[/h2][p]Not only had they become the first club to find certain legal loopholes which allowed them to sign players to exceptionally long contracts, thus ensuring that the amortisation process accounted for how they were able to spend so much more than their fellow Premier League clubs, but the sheer scale of their incoming and outgoing transfer business was like nothing seen before.[/p][embed guid="e9922a90-7772-4c1e-bd83-698aaeb943eb" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2088633456628531661" social-type="twitter" /][p]It often appeared that no players (or managers) were safe from the decision-makers at the club, with some of those decisions seeming to make little sense.[/p][p]Even now, the West Londoners seem to be considering allowing two of their best players to leave the club this summer.[/p][infobox id="c5ce5f5a-ccb6-468f-9fce-bb4a330c372a" /][h2]Boehly and Walter to sell their shareholding?[/h2][p]There are strong rumours persisting that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandez-enzo/nZnbEVWP/"]Enzo Fernandez[/a] could join [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Man City[/a] in the current window for a figure believed to be around the £120m mark, whilst [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/neto-pedro/lxtnUkIP/"]Pedro Neto[/a] could be made available for £100m.[/p][p]If that weren't enough for supporters of the Blues to digest, it now seems that chairman Todd Boehly and director Mark Walter have had enough, and both want to sell their stake in the club to majority shareholder Clearlake Capital.[/p][embed guid="9acf3610-6aa5-4b7f-9026-3d99111f1d48" url="https://x.com/JacobsBen/status/2089415215213428958" social-type="twitter" /][p]Both Boehly and Walter own 12.8% of the club, and their £5bn valuation of it would mean that they would pocket to the tune of £640m each if Clearlake were to accept the deal.[/p][p]On the face of it, such a deal could normally be brushed off as a simple business transaction that often occurs in the world of sport, though in Chelsea's case, it represents yet another reason for fans to wonder what on earth is going on at Stamford Bridge.[/p][h2]Chelsea will be severely weakened if Fernandez and Neto leave[/h2][p]Arguably, a multi-million-pound outfit that finishes 10th in the table and outside the qualification places for European football, just a year after being crowned world champions, has to be looking to stabilise off the pitch and keep hold of its best players on it, as well as adding high-quality exponents.[/p][p]Not considering offers which, ultimately, considerably weakens them.[/p][image alt="Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto radar graphics - Premier League 2025/26" id="9b37226a-916d-4011-a7b8-f120289c2529" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="dda4e079-05c1-4de7-9f67-d7fcac9af355" original-width="768" original-height="1152" /][p]For example, Neto supplied 10 assists each in 2025/26, the joint-most in the Chelsea squad.[/p][p]In terms of goals, the Argentinian scored 15 and the Portuguese 10, two of the highest outputs of the season.[/p][h2]Consistency and the highest level of output[/h2][p]30 fast breaks between them, and a total of nine times in which one or the other hit the woodwork also evidence their attacking prowess, though that's just one part of the story.[/p][p]On that basis alone, however, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alonso-xabi/hAcTWKKN/"]Xabi Alonso[/a] might be scratching his head regarding how the club hierarchy expects to replace such talent.[/p][image alt="Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto's xG map - Premier League 2025/26" id="99458a7b-a02d-4e6a-94d6-6f53bfe1de7b" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="23dc7b31-25f4-495e-9941-ccb0a86c4919" original-width="768" original-height="1152" /][p]With 61 and 58 games played respectively in 25/26, Fernandez and Neto were also the two most available players throughout the campaign.[/p][p]The Portuguese's 59.18% shot accuracy was the top return of all of Chelsea's regular players, whilst Fernandez's 56.1% placed him joint-third in this metric.[/p][image alt="Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto's attacking carries - Premier League 2025/26" id="a1a0fec5-b855-440f-88ab-065db985cc65" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="f68a4534-0dab-452a-b371-58b2f257a11e" original-width="768" original-height="1152" /][p]Their shot conversion rate (16.25% and 13.91%) also placed them in the very top echelon of the Blues squad.[/p][p]If that weren't enough to sound the alarm, Enzo's 108 chances created and the 91 from Neto were, once again, the best output.[/p][p]Even their passing stats of 85.76% and 88.42% respectively were a fantastic return.[/p][h2]Stamford Bridge soap opera continues...[/h2][p]As if to further rub salt into the wounds, 510 duels attempted by the Argentinian were the second-most, and the 428 from the Portuguese placed him fourth. Even their tackle success was on a par with other squad members.[/p][p]The evidence is there in black and white, then, that the pair are two of Chelsea's better players, and yet the board are genuinely considering letting both of them move on.[/p][embed guid="7cd7adde-0c79-450c-a1d0-0f0f7b80dc9b" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2038383844512980995?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]Even in the context of Fernandez's comments from a few months ago, when he suggested he'd love to play in Madrid, it's a decision that makes little sense, because it weakens what Alonso is trying to achieve: stability and consistency.[/p][p]All that said, a lot of what's happened since Roman Abramovich was forced to sell hasn't made sense, and this potentially crazy ownership and transfer saga is just the latest in the soap opera Chelsea have become.[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]