Enzo Fernandez has thanked Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca for helping bring him to the club after the Italian strongly pushed for the midfielder’s signing from Chelsea.
Maresca had previously worked with Fernandez at Chelsea and was keen to be reunited with the Argentina international. Manchester City completed the deal by paying €145m for the midfielder, who has now begun his career with the Premier League club.
Fernandez acknowledged Maresca’s role after making his first decisive contribution for Manchester City. The midfielder assisted Erling Haaland in Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Porto.
The assist marked Fernandez’s first goal involvement since joining Manchester City and provided an early indication of his influence in the side. His pass allowed Haaland to score as City secured a two-goal win against Porto in Europe’s leading club competition.
The transfer reunited Fernandez with Maresca, who had previously worked with him at Chelsea. That existing relationship was an important factor in the manager’s determination to bring the player to Manchester City.
The club’s €145m investment made Fernandez one of the central arrivals in its squad, while the player’s first decisive contribution came in a Champions League fixture rather than a domestic match. His involvement in the move for Haaland gave him an immediate opportunity to make an impact on one of the biggest stages in club football.
For Maresca, the decision to press for Fernandez’s signing has already produced a positive early moment. The manager’s support for the transfer and the player’s contribution against Porto have linked the move directly to Fernandez’s first assist for Manchester City.
Fernandez’s appreciation is therefore directed towards the coach who had previously worked with him at Chelsea and then advocated his recruitment by Manchester City. The transfer was completed for €145m, and the Argentina midfielder has now registered his first assist for his new club.
Manchester City’s 2-0 Champions League win over Porto provided the setting for that milestone. Fernandez supplied Haaland, and the forward’s finish formed part of the victory that gave the midfielder his first productive action in Manchester City colours.
The result also placed the focus on the relationship between Fernandez and Maresca, whose previous experience of working together helped encourage the move. After joining from Chelsea, Fernandez has begun repaying that faith with an assist in the Champions League.
His contribution against Porto was the first decisive action of his Manchester City career, while Maresca’s insistence on signing him remains central to the story of the transfer. The midfielder has now publicly expressed his gratitude to the coach as he starts life at his new club.