Chelsea target Declan Rice would form an ‘immense’ partnership with Enzo Fernandez in midfield at Stamford Bridge, journalist Simon Phillips has told GIVEMESPORT.
The Blues have brought in a vast array of talent in the last year and could be set to make even further high-profile additions in the summer under Graham Potter.
Chelsea latest news – Declan Rice
Lately, former Liverpool player and pundit Danny Murphy has weighed in on the speculation surrounding Rice’s future in his column with the Mail on Sunday, stating that the West Ham United midfielder ‘has to leave’ the London Stadium to reach his full potential.
Chelsea are known to be keen on taking the 24-year-old to West London this summer, while Arsenal have also been heavily linked with a swoop for his signature in the summer.
Last year, Manchester United tried to test the water to entice Rice to the North West, seeing a bid of £100 million knocked back by the Hammers, as per talkSPORT, who also claim that West Ham would want £120m for their captain.
Chelsea hold one key advantage in the race for the England international, as Rice is a boyhood fan who also spent time in their academy setup as a youngster.
What has Simon Phillips said about Declan Rice?
Journalist Phillips believes that Rice could form an ‘immense’ partnership with January signing Fernandez at the heart of the Chelsea midfield, similar to that of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic in the past.
Phillips told GMS: “A Rice and Enzo [Fernandez] partnership would be immense. I think you’d be looking at the good days at Chelsea when they won the league, with Cesc Fabregas playing in midfield alongside Nemanja Matic; it would be that kind of combination, that kind of balance that those two would bring and I think that if you asked a lot of Chelsea fans, they would see that as a dream partnership in midfield going forward.”
Would Declan Rice and Enzo Fernandez form a formidable midfield partnership?
If Rice was to move to Stamford Bridge this summer, there would certainly be potential for him and Fernandez to be a long-term solution in midfield for Chelsea that would excite supporters.
Both are two of the most highly-rated in the engine room across world football at the present moment and if they could build an understanding and trust in each other, Rice and Fernandez would be one of the most feared double pivots anywhere in the country.
One problem that the Blues would have in that scenario is the number of central midfielders they already have on the books at the club, which may mean boss Potter would probably need to reshuffle his pack a little and make slight tactical alterations.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have the financial muscle to pull it off and will be desperate to add more quality in the summer to avoid repeating what has been a disappointing 2022/23 season so far.
