Enzo Fernandez Warns Chelsea’s Rivals Ahead of Mauricio Pochettino Takeover

• Enzo Fernandez has backed Mauricio Pochettino to succeed as manager at Chelsea
• The World Cup-winner is confident the Blues will return to its top status next season
• Fernandez was among the many arrivals at the club this season under new ownership

Enzo Fernandez has promised rival clubs that Chelsea will bounce back after a difficult season that saw them finish 12th on the Premier League table.

It was the Blues' worst finish in over 25 years, with the club going through the season with four different managers.

Club legend, Frank Lampard, took over after Graham Potter - who replaced Thomas Tuchel - was sacked, with Bruno Saltor also briefly taking on the coaching role.

It was also the first season under the ownership of the Clearlake consortium, led by Todd Boehly. The American splashed close to €600 million, but the performances were not forthcoming.

Among the many arrivals was Fernandez, who was scooped for a British record fee from Benfica in January. The midfielder had just starred for Lionel Messi's Argentina as they won the World Cup in Qatar.

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Fernandez's message to Chelsea fans

Admittedly, the former Benfica star was among the brightest sparks of Chelsea's otherwise dull season. The 22-year-old has since sent out a message of optimism ahead of next season.

His words were translated as follows:

"We are moving forward with Chelsea and although the first semester was not as we all wanted, we know that this is a serious project with people who are looking for the best for the club and this year, we will show it!" he said on social media.

Fernandez will come back to a fourth different manager with his international compatriot, Mauricio Pochettino, poised to take over.

According to the player's father, Raul, he is expected to ask the manager to play him in a different position rather than holding midfield.

"My son wants to be a champion! I think we will see Enzo play further forward! He was going to ask Pochettino to play further advanced," he said, as quoted by The Chelsea Spot.

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What Pochettino's Chelsea could be

Sports Brief also took a look at how Chelsea could look next season, keeping in mind Pochettino's favoured 4-2-3-1 formation and the numerous players departing the club and having joined last season.

N'Golo Kante's move to Saudi Arabia was confirmed by the club, with Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly expected to follow him, plus Matteo Kovacic and Kai Havertz also moving on.

Under different circumstances, all these players were guaranteed starters at Chelsea. How will Poch approach next season, and does he have enough firepower to challenge for titles on multiple fronts?