Angus is an experienced football journalist at Football FanCast, specialising in Premier League reporting, opinion writing and in-depth football analysis. Since graduating from Southampton Solent University in 2022, he has developed extensive experience covering the English game, producing thousands of articles across a wide range of clubs and competitions.  

Before joining Football FanCast, Angus led VAVEL's Brighton & Hove Albion department, gaining valuable experience in club-specific reporting and editorial leadership. He subsequently joined Football FanCast through Snack Media's academy, now part of Valnet, and has progressed into the publication's Opinions and Features team.
 

As one of Football FanCast's longest-serving writers, Angus has covered numerous major developments across the Premier League, combining breaking news experience with detailed features and considered opinions. His work draws on years of reporting to provide context behind performances, transfer activity and the wider issues shaping English football.

Crucially, Xabi Alonso has changed the environment at Chelsea. After last year's malaise, the Spanish coach deserves credit for that, but it's clear that the Blues have a long way to go before returning to very top of the European pyramid.

Chelsea fell by the wayside last season, parting with Enzo Maresca and then Liam Rosenior and finally Calum McFarlane, who stood in on an interim basis until Alonso's services were secured.

After finishing tenth in the Premier League last season, concessions had to be made. Sales had to be made. It was a bitter one, but it looks like the transfer of Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City was one Chelsea were wise to authorise.

Why Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez

Fernandez had bridges to burn at Chelsea long before his move to Manchester City was finalised. The Argentina international was dropped by Rosenior in April after "crossing a line", signalling his intent to leave Stamford Bridge after the World Cup during an interview with ESPN.

While Fernandez certainly had his good moments across his three-and-a-half-year spell with Chelsea, there was plenty of low points too, and given that he cost £107m to bring over from SL Benfica after playing a pivotal role in winning for his nation the World Cup in Qatar, and he never lived up to that staggering sum.

A big-game player, Fernandez scored 31 goals and supplied 30 more across 170 appearances for Chelsea. He was tireless and he was artful with his creativity, but was he indispensable for the Blues?

Probably not. His form last season wasn't anything spectacular, and he lacked mobility and the kind of relentlessness in the duel that characterised his earlier days in the Premier League.

All told, for Chelsea to have claimed a British-record-equalling £125m from Man City this summer can only be considered good business.

Fernandez isn't coming back; Chelsea supporters probably don't want him back. Alonso does need a long-term replacement welcomed to the Bridge in 2027, though, and the powers that be are pushing to get the perfect player over the line.

Chelsea in talks to sign Enzo Fernandez upgrade

Chelsea failed on transfer deadline day to sign Lamine Camara, Monaco pulling out of the deal to sell the talented midfielder and scuppering the Blues' late plans.

It's frustrating, but in the end, it may end up paying off, with Chelsean now fully focused on signing Alex Scott from Bournemouth in 2027.

The i Paper reveal that while Bournemouth are determined to keep their star man, Chelsea are among the frontrunners to sign the coveted midfielder, locked in talks ; having failed with a £70m bid this summer, they will be expected to stump up around £100m.

Liverpool also have a vested interest, but the west Londoners have put in plenty of groundwork, and Alonso would argue that his system would be tailor-made for the 23-year-old, who would add energy and creativity and impetus in midfield.

It's been lacking somewhat since Fernandez's summer sale, but Scott is showing for Bournemouth this year that he actually has the skillset to make an even bigger impact, proving to be a better-spent nine-figure sum.

Chelsea have battled tooth and nail over the past year to bring Scott over to Stamford Bridge. The race is hotting up, but they have a vacancy in their central ranks for such a profile, and while he's still learning, the data shows that he is well outstripping Fernandez in terms of the physicality, technicality and mobility he is bringing to the Premier League.

Silky and stylish on the ball, Scott might not boast Fernandez's same depth of passing, but that's not to say he isn't trusted by his teammates to dictate play. He has seen more of the ball than Enzo in the Premier League this year, proving more combative and energetic in the engine room too.

He has missed Bournemouth's past five league fixtures as he nurses a hamstring injury, but made the bench during the recent win over Ipswich Town ahead of the international break.

Scott is ticking all the right boxes, and his fleet-footed trickery in midfield could be exactly what Chelsea are after. He embodies Alonso's principles, and given that he's outperforming Man City's Fernandez right now, he might just be the perfect man to take Alonso's system - showing promise but leaving much to be desired - to the next level.

Scott is the future. There is a reason so many elite outfits are lining up, queueing to have a shot at his signature. Chelsea appear to be the frontrunners right now, and if Scott lives up to the billing in west London, he will ensure supporters quickly forget about the Fernandez-shaped hole left in midfield this summer.