Chelsea may be doing Arsenal a favour with their Enzo Fernandez transfer stance

As Arsenal prepare to defend their Premier League title, Chelsea might have just handed Mikel Arteta’s side a small advantage.

As per The Athletic, Chelsea have set a deadline of 5pm on Friday for clubs to submit a £120million bid for Enzo Fernandez.

Of course, the team most prominently interested in Fernandez, and who this stance is directly aimed at, is Manchester City.

But if they don’t meet Chelsea’s valuation, the Argentine will stay in West London under manager Xabi Alonso.

Chelsea are clearly trying to avoid a distracting situation which drags late into the window, but in doing so, their ultimatum could lead to some chaotic decision-making at the Etihad.

Why Manchester City’s Enzo Fernandez saga benefits Arsenal

Manchester City are having to completely overhaul their midfield under new manager Enzo Maresca.

Bernardo Silva has already left, Tijjani Reijnders is nearing the exit door, and Rodri has his heart set on a move to Barcelona.

They have, of course, already signed Elliot Anderson for £116million and are in an ongoing pursuit for Ayyoub Bouaddi, both of which essentially gave Arsenal a free run at Bruno Guimaraes.

Now, on top of all that, they are chasing Fernandez for a mammoth £120million. Whether Bouaddi is an alternative to Fernandez or whether City want both is unclear.

Let’s assume it is. Going from Rodri Bernardo and Reijnders to Anderson, Bouaddi, and Fernandez is a downgrade. And changing your entire midfield under a new manager is far easier said than done.

It takes time to build the understanding and chemistry and, in theory, Maresca is inheriting a team in transition.

That is a major advantage for Arsenal, who have only strengthened in that area, having essentially replaced Christian Norgaard with Guimaraes.

What they still must do, though, is improve their attack. It was clear last season and it has been as clear as day in pre-season: Arsenal are missing a bit of X-factor in the final third.

Arteta spoke about how they need players that can produce individual moments of brilliance after the Champions League final loss to PSG, but so far, the club have failed to provide him with that.

With City scrambling for a midfielder or two, Arsenal need to capitalise and complete their squad before the end of the window.