Chelsea supporters gave a divided reception to Enzo Fernandez on Saturday as Morgan Rogers scored on his first appearance in a 3-1 victory against Real Sociedad.
Joao Pedro stole the show with a brace, continuing his outstanding pre-season form as manager Xabi Alonso took charge of a match at Stamford Bridge for the first time.
The result was overshadowed by the reaction to Fernandez’s second-half appearance, arriving less than 24 hours after Chelsea’s self-imposed transfer deadline had passed.
Fernandez had been keen to join Real Madrid earlier this summer before the Spanish club ended their interest in the Argentine midfielder.
His representatives later held talks with Manchester City, but no offer was made to meet Chelsea’s £120m valuation before Friday’s 17:00 BST deadline.
Fernandez was booed by some early arrivals at Stamford Bridge when his name was read out 45 minutes before kick-off, setting the tone for a tense afternoon.
There were then audible boos when Fernandez came on in the 62nd minute, though Chelsea supporters appeared divided, with others responding by chanting his name.
Each touch of the ball was greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers, while some fans also celebrated when Fernandez was fouled.
Alonso and Chelsea signalled their backing of the player when Reece James left the field and passed his long-time vice-captain the armband as usual.
Some supporters remain unhappy with Fernandez’s perceived disloyalty, having come out publicly about his desire to move to Madrid, with his agent Javier Pastore also claiming he is underpaid.
It will be interesting to see how supporters of the Premier League’s other 19 clubs react to Fernandez, given his celebrations and social media jibes after Argentina beat England in a World Cup semi-final in July.
That will remain an issue whether he stays at Chelsea or Manchester City elect to revive their interest and attempt to reunite him with former manager Enzo Maresca before deadline day on 1 September.
Rogers took just seven minutes to score his first Chelsea goal, reacting quickest after Alex Remiro saved Joao Pedro’s initial header from close range.
The £117m club record signing from Aston Villa looked sharp initially, linking well with Cole Palmer and Pedro in Chelsea’s front three before fading after 62 minutes.
Rogers had trained for less than a week since returning from holiday, making his promising display all the more encouraging for Alonso ahead of the Premier League season.
Pedro headed Chelsea back in front in the 47th minute before adding a side-footed finish 30 minutes later, sealing victory after Jon Mikel Aramburu’s volley had equalised just before half-time.
Joao Pedro has now scored eight goals in seven pre-season matches, establishing himself as a key figure in Alonso’s emerging system at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso offered a glimpse of the 3-4-2-1 formation he could deploy against Fulham in Chelsea’s Premier League opener, with Robert Sanchez in goal and a back three of Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix, and Levi Colwill.
Pedro Neto operated at right wing-back and Marco Palestra on the left, with captain Reece James and Moises Caicedo lining up in midfield behind the front three.
Chelsea still have 40 senior professionals on their books, meaning Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Mykhailo Mudryk, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Mamadou Sarr were all omitted despite featuring in previous pre-season fixtures.
Jackson is available for £65m, Delap for £50m, Mudryk and Sarr are targeting Premier League loan moves, while Tosin has attracted interest from Benfica and Marseille.
Chelsea still need to offload at least 15 players with only 17 days remaining in the transfer window to reduce their squad to 25 players.
