Chelsea’s precarious project further rocked by Cucurella and Fernández comments | Jacob Steinberg

Trust the process. Ignore the haters. Promise that the trophies will come. Stay on brand. Disappear on international duty and issue a brazen come-and-get-me plea to Real Madrid. Suggest a move to Barcelona would be difficult to reject. Don’t silence the noise. Increase the noise. Question the club’s transfer policy. Say you miss the previous manager. Say Madrid is your favourite European city. Say it more than once. Hang on. Have we gone off-message here?

These have been a turbulent few weeks for Chelsea. Humbled in Europe by Paris Saint-Germain, and in danger of allowing their Premier League campaign to spiral out of control, they could have done without two of their biggest players creating a PR storm during the international break. Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernández did not get the memo, though. Fernández is clearly after a summer move – “I really like Madrid, it’s similar to Buenos Aires,” the Argentina midfielder said this week. Meanwhile Cucurella did not hold back during a recent interview with the Athletic, saying Chelsea have “paid the price” for their inexperience, questioning Enzo Maresca’s mid-season departure and saying the heavy defeat by PSG in the last 16 of the Champions League has left players “discouraged”.

The optics could hardly be worse. Cucurella and Fernández are leaders in the dressing room. Their comments have resonated with many supporters and, almost four years into the BlueCo era, have raised troubling questions about whether the Chelsea model can bring sustained success at the highest level.

The worry has always been how the project rebels against established football norms, particularly with the focus on signing young players. It was a point debated with Liam Rosenior when he was introduced as Maresca’s replacement as head coach in January. Rosenior pointed to the Class of 92 at Manchester United, who defied Alan Hansen’s “you can’t win anything with kids” jibe by claiming the double in 1995-96. The riposte, though, was that United’s emerging stars came into a squad that had Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin and Steve Bruce. United had wise old heads capable of guiding the youngsters through difficult moments. Do Chelsea?

Recent evidence suggests not. Even if Fernández’s complaints have merit, going on the offensive in public hardly feels appropriate from a player who wears the captain’s armband when Reece James is out. Fernández is talking a good game but what kind of leadership was he displaying when he publicly berated Filip Jörgensen after the goalkeeper’s mistake against PSG?

This is not how a team with a strong culture behaves. As Chelsea reflect after defeats by Everton, Newcastle and PSG, these outbursts have them wondering about the mentality of some players. However, Fernández’s frustration hints at impatience. Chelsea have looked for a rising head coach and trusted that an inexperienced squad will grow together. The potential flaw is that the Argentinian’s rebellious comments show the best players will not want to wait for others to realise their potential.

Chelsea can point to Fernández’s deal running until 2032. They have protected their finances by lowering the wage bill and handing out heavily incentivised long contracts. Again, though, the danger is the project runs up against human envy. A leading player at Chelsea will still be one of the best remunerated in the league when incentives are met. Yet players at other clubs will have a higher guaranteed income. Players gossip. They might hear how much an international colleague is making at a rival. Fernández is said to want an improved deal. There is no time pressure on Chelsea to give him one, but that will not necessarily stop the player from agitating.

There have been high points; moments when the pieces have seemed to be falling into place. Chelsea smashed PSG in the Club World Cup final last summer. Maresca was gone by New Year’s Day, though. The fallout with the hierarchy was swift. Chelsea sources say there was no sacking. They felt that Maresca, who had held talks with figures associated with Manchester City over replacing Pep Guardiola, in effect engineered his exit.

However, the Italian held sway with influential members of the dressing room. “It was a departure that hurt us a lost because we had identity,” Fernández said. Pedro Neto admitted: “I was a little bit surprised.” Cucurella said: “It had a big impact on us.”

Of course, it must be stressed that Cucurella also backed Rosenior. The former Strasbourg manager has floundered in recent weeks but Chelsea gave him a six-and-a-half-year deal. They have to stand by their man.

Chelsea are not panicking. They can still qualify for the Champions League and are at home to Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals. There are suggestions of a shift in recruitment this summer; that part of the focus on youth stemmed from a desire to reset after money wasted on older players. Sources insist there is no definitive policy around signing only raw talent. João Pedro was an established Premier League player when he joined from Brighton last summer. Chelsea also considered a top international defender in January.

Why has James signed a new deal? The captain must have been impressed when he discussed summer targets with the hierarchy. Cole Palmer, regarded as untouchable despite constant links with Manchester United, has had reassurances from the board. Moisés Caicedo has pledged his future to Chelsea and Cucurella’s contract was extended last summer.

That does not mean all is well. Chelsea are unimpressed with Fernández and some believe it would not be a disaster if he goes. It would have to be a big fee – and Spanish sources say Madrid are not about to pay £100m – but it is hard to see how Chelsea benefit from keeping someone no longer aligned with their vision.

This is another huge summer. Chelsea have just posted a pre-tax loss of £262.4m for the 2024-25 season and a place in the top five is on the line. Missing out on the Champions League would make more players question where this is heading. Chelsea have to restore the faith.