Neville names Fernandez City's £125m coup as the Premier League's best midfield signing of the summer

Enzo Fernandez completed a £125m deadline-day move from Chelsea to Manchester City, and Gary Neville wasted little time in declaring the Argentine the Premier League’s most significant midfield signing of the summer transfer window.

City’s pursuit was far from smooth. Fernandez had been agitating for a departure from Stamford Bridge before the window even opened, and Chelsea held firm until the final hours. Talks between the clubs began on Monday, the penultimate day of the window, with City’s opening offer of £104m plus add-ons swiftly rejected. Chelsea demanded a guaranteed fee and set their valuation at £135m. City returned with a clean £125m bid, which Chelsea accepted.

Speaking on The Overlap, Neville was unequivocal about where Fernandez ranked among the midfielders who changed clubs this summer. “He is better than the other midfield players that have moved this summer, though, isn’t he?” the former United defender said. “He’s more proven, I think. He’s better than [Matheus] Fernandes and [Sandro] Tonali and [Bruno] Guimaraes, I think. So from a point of view of quality, they have signed a top midfield player, haven’t they?”

Neville also drew a pointed comparison with Manchester United’s own midfield business. “United — [Youri] Tielemans, [Carlos] Baleba, [Andrey] Santos — he’s the best one out of the lot that have travelled,” he added, a remark that carries extra weight given his ties to Old Trafford. United spent a combined £155m on their three midfield recruits.

The summer window saw significant midfield investment across the division. Tottenham committed £185m to their engine room, including Sandro Tonali from Newcastle and Matheus Fernandes, while Arsenal paid £75m to land Bruno Guimaraes from St James’ Park.

Fernandez was the centrepiece of a £454.2m spending spree by City. The club also paid £60m — rising to £65m with add-ons — for Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye, who arrives as a replacement for Omar Marmoush, sent to Tottenham on loan earlier in the window. Those late additions followed earlier commitments, including Elliot Anderson, who agreed to join during the World Cup, and Ayyoub Bouaddi, signed from Lille for £85m.