Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink hails Fernandez & rates Chelsea’s chance of beating Real Madrid

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By Martin Graham | 21st Mar 2023

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has heaped praise on ‘promising and exciting’ Enzo Fernandez and shared his thoughts on Chelsea’s chances of beating Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Chelsea spent a respectable £100m to sign Argentina World Cup winner Fernandez from Benfica during the January transfer window.

Hasselbaink – who played at Stamford Bridge for four years during his playing career – expects Fernandez to live up to expectations for Chelsea over the next few years.

Hasselbaink praises Fernandez

“Enzo Fernandez is very exciting,” he told The Hindustan Times.

“He’s a young player but he’s very aggressive and technically very good as well.”

“What I like, as an ex-striker, is he’s always looking to play forward. I believe he’s going to be a big player, a big star for Chelsea.’

By their own standards, Chelsea have endured a poor season under Graham Potter but appear to have turned a corner in recent weeks, having won three games in a row before Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Everton.

That run of form included a Champions League last-16 victory over Borussia Dortmund, with the Blues now set to face trophy holders Real Madrid in the quarters.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid claimed a record-extending 14th Champions League title last season and outclassed Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Liverpool in the previous round.

“If you want to win the Champions League, you have to beat the best,’ Hasselbaink, 50, said when asked to rate Chelsea’s chances.”

‘It’s not going to be an easy game, but you have to believe. We have done it in the past and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.”

Hasselbaink also tried to justify Todd Boehly’s intentions at Stamford Bridge. Since buying Chelsea last year, the American businessman has spent almost £600m on new signings and has often faced criticism for his ‘erratic’ purchases.

“We all know how the previous ownership was working. The turnover in managers was a lot more frequent,” Hasselbaink added.

“I think these owners, they want a project. They want young players, they believe in young players, and they want a manager who is going to believe that with them.”

“Graham Potter has come in and he’s had lots of issues to deal with. The results have been up and down. But I still think it is a project.”

“The new American owners want to see continuity. So that is, in a way, refreshing, and refreshing for football as well.”

Chelsea resume their Premier League campaign against Aston Villa following the international