The English Premier League (EPL) has over the years thrown some crazy stats at us. From being sidelined at the club, players have come back to perform well. Inversely, the players being paid big money for, and expected to deliver straight away, have struggled to adapt to the league sometimes. A quite similar story unfolds this season in the EPL with Harry Maguire and Enzo Fernandez as its cast.
It was looking like Harry Maguire would depart Manchester United in this summer transfer window. West Ham United had a bid in the range of $38 million accepted for the defender by the United’s hierarchy. However, as this panned out, the 30-year-old refused to leave the Old Trafford side and expressed his desire to stay.
On the other hand, Chelsea opted for the services of Enzo Fernandez on a record big-money signing of close to $127.4 million. However, the Argentinian failed to deliver straight away for the Blues, as the club got off to a slow start to the season. It would still take a lot of good performances from the 22-year-old to justify his price tag.
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As per the stats, Maguire has a better assist record than the Blues midfielder. The defender registered one assist for the Red Devils this season in just his three outings. When compared, Chelsea’s midfielder Enzo Fernandez has no assists or goals to his name in his eight matches for the Blues so far.
Enzo Fernandez signed for Chelsea in January 2023. His current contract at the club darts till June 2031. Harry joined the Red Devils in the latter part of the year 2019, with his contract at the club expiring in June 2025.
The reason behind Harry Maguire not leaving Manchester United
The 30-year-old defender was given the green signal to stay at the Red Devils. As per the reports, the top hierarchy at United felt that, if the player was let to leave, they would struggle to find an adequate replacement. It was because it was so late in the transfer window, to pursue a replacement.
Even with an adequate sum of money, the club would have found it tough to get a deal over the line in the limited time space. Even though, this was the reason behind the club opting to halt the departure of the English defender.
There was another issue. The defender demanded a higher payoff to leave the club. However, United were not willing to offer the player the amount he wanted.
It remains to be seen if United would be open to let him go in the next transfer window. Particularly if an offer comes early in the window. However, the England international does offer Erik ten Hag experience when it comes to crunch games.