Graham Potter seemingly warned Chelsea chiefs that they were paying over the odds for their record signing.
After replacing Thomas Tuchel in August, the former Brighton boss arrived at Stamford Bridge in August having established a reputation as a top level coach, but his stint lasted less than seven months. The Blues were 11th when Todd Boehly opted to fire his second manager within a season, with Potter losing 11 of his 31 games in charge in all competitions.
But his reign wasn't helped by a chaotic transfer policy, which saw the American owner splash out in excess of £300 million, more than the combined outlay by clubs in Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. And amid the excessive spending, the club smashed the British transfer record for a single player fee.
The London club paid Benfica £106.8 million for Argentinian Enzo Fernandez. The stock of the Argentinian star was high post-Christmas, having played a key role in the World Cup win in Qatar, and he was reportedly being tracked by the likes of Real Madrid.
That prompted Chelsea to move quickly for the ex-River Plate man, and subsequently make a huge money offer with the Portuguese outfit keen to keep him until at least the summer. However, Potter himself was against the move, and according to The Guardian told the club's board that they were paying too much for the star.
Potter, 48, also voiced concerns over the amount of players coming through the door at Stamford Bridge. Indeed, one of Mauricio Pochetinno's first big tasks will be to trim his sizeable squad, with around 40 first team squad players at his disposal.
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Fernandez, 22, did show flashes of his potential amid Chelsea's turbulent campaign, which saw the club record their lowest top flight finish since 1993/94. Under Frank Lampard, he was one of the side's stand out performers in their Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid, despite Chelsea being beaten 4-0 on aggregate.
And after signing off with a 1-1 draw at Newcastle on Sunday, Lampard said: "Enzo gets it. He gets what’s required in training. He gets what’s required to be a Chelsea player. He’s got a high talent. Some players just get it. I keep talking about giving players time. But when you work with someone, you understand it very quickly, and I think he gets it."
Despite Lampard's lavish praise, Fernandez failed to score a single goal in his 22 appearances. But the Chelsea hierarchy will be hopeful the arrival of compatriot Pochetinno can bring the best out of the star, who is contracted at the club until 2031 having signed an eight-and-a-half-year deal.
