Declan Rice and Enzo Fernandez: Future teammates or midfield rivals?

The timing from David Moyes was conspicuous. Enzo Fernandez, the new holder of the British transfer record, had just made his Chelsea debut when Moyes jumped at the chance to praise a player of his own. He was glowing about the performance of Declan Rice in West Ham’s battling 1-1 draw at Newcastle, and chose to deliver a clear statement on how Chelsea’s £106m signing of Fernandez had altered the transfer market – as well as the value of his captain. “Undoubtedly he’ll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham,” Moyes said. “I think Dec will be blowing that out of the water, that’s for sure, when it comes around."

For as much as West Ham and Moyes hope it’s not, “when it comes around” is increasingly certain to be this summer, when Rice will enter the final year of his contract. It is a crucial time for West Ham, given it is unlikely that Rice will extend his nine-year association with the club beyond his current deal. If Moyes’s assertion is correct and the England international commands a £106m-plus fee this summer, West Ham would risk losing him for nothing if they do not sell. But with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all gathering, the ball is in West Ham’s court to drive up the price as much as they can – a point Moyes made sure to make.

And if Moyes is correct, when West Ham host Chelsea at the London Stadium on Saturday, the most expensive signing in Premier League history will face the player who could be its next record-breaking transfer. It will be the first meeting of Rice and Fernandez but depending on what unfolds in the coming months, it could be the first of many, or the last at club level for some time. With Chelsea and Arsenal set to be the leading contenders for Rice this summer, they may start next season as teammates, or as midfield rivals.

At first glance, Chelsea breaking the British transfer record to sign one centre midfielder should rule out the possibility of doing it again in the following window. But while what the Stamford Bridge club are doing is unprecedented, the hierarchy would point to it being necessary. Even before Chelsea made their deadline day splash to meet Benfica’s release clause for Fernandez, it had been suggested that a move for the World Cup winner would not alter their plans to target Rice, in what would potentially be a bigger deal to make given the open market.

Pairing Rice and Fernandez in midfield would be a lavish statement, while also fitting with Chelsea’s long-term plans. Selling Jorginho to Arsenal was only the first stage of their midfield overhaul; Mateo Kovacic will enter the final year of his contract in the summer, when N’Golo Kante’s deal will have run out. Rice at 24 and Fernandez at 22, born two years and three days apart, could be a midfield partnership until the end of this decade.

They possess similar qualities: while primarily being disruptors in midfield, they both display quality on the ball and an eye for the forward pass, as well as strong personalities. While Fernandez is the World Cup winner with Argentina, he has already admitted that he admires the West Ham captain and sees him as a model for his own game. “I like Rice of England,” Fernandez said at the World Cup when asked about other midfielders at the tournament. “I try to watch him and learn.”

There may be a counterargument, however, that they may be too similar to work in a midfield base, and there is a question over whether there are enough differences to justify another hugely expensive trip to the market. Moyes’s comments were ridiculed in some parts, perhaps as an example of the inflated transfer fees paid by Premier League clubs for English players. And yet Chelsea have given West Ham, as well as Borussia Dortmund in their negotiations with suitors for Jude Bellingham, a marker that they will insist is met.

Clearly, given Rice’s contract situation, the pressure on West Ham to sell is greater than what Benfica faced, who all along pointed to Fenandez’s release clause, or the pressure on Brighton when they refused to sell Moises Caicedo for anything below his value. Yet West Ham and Rice will have leverage, given that Chelsea won’t be the only party around the negotiating table.

Arsenal have made signing Rice this summer their priority, and should be able to open talks with the stronger hand given their clear progress under Mikel Arteta this season. Rice, on his part, can also look to Arsenal and see a system that is finely tuned and ready to be clicked into. It may also suit Rice that Arsenal would allow him time to adjust, given the seniority of their midfield options. Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey will both be 30 by the start of the next campaign, but are currently leading a title challenge. Jorginho, on an 18-month contract, has been signed almost for the run-in, but beyond that there is a longer-term void in the midfield area.

Arsenal, to borrow a phrase from Moyes, have been blown out of the water by Chelsea before over their pursuit of Mykhailo Mudryk, and this would be another test of sporting director Edu’s capacity to compete with the financial offers Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are making. Arsenal, however, have been clear that they believe Rice is worth it.

If that is the direction this takes, it means Saturday’s meeting at the London Stadium would be the first of many midfield battles between Rice and Fernandez in London derbies. Yet there is also the possibility that they start next season as a pair, who would be expected to go on and challenge for Premier League titles. Whichever way it goes, it is increasingly likely that both players could one day say that they held the British transfer record.