Enzo Fernandez: Joe Cole Backs Manchester City Move to Replace Rodri

Joe Cole has thrown his weight behind Manchester City’s pursuit of Enzo Fernandez, insisting the Chelsea midfielder is the standout candidate to step into the void left by Rodri’s move to Barcelona.

City are scouring the market for midfield steel and subtlety before the new season kicks off. In Cole’s eyes, all roads lead to the World Cup‑winning Argentine.

“What a man to try and replace”

Rodri didn’t just anchor City’s midfield. He defined it. The Spain international became the tactical heartbeat of Pep Guardiola’s side, dictating tempo, smothering danger and giving City the platform for their era of dominance.

That’s exactly why Cole believes the task facing City’s recruitment team is so daunting.

“What a man to try and replace,” he told Paddy Power. “Rodri is one of the all-time Premier League greats. Such a unique footballer.”

The scale of that loss has turned the hunt for his successor into one of the stories of the summer. Fernandez has been heavily linked with a switch to the Etihad, and Cole is convinced the 23‑year‑old has the right tools to live with the weight of expectation in Manchester.

He sees a midfielder with the technical security, range of passing and mentality to handle the pressure that comes with filling one of the most demanding roles in European football.

Enzo saga set to rumble on

Cole expects the Fernandez chase to be anything but straightforward.

“This Enzo saga will definitely drag on, because what you’ve got is a player who wants to move on and is wanted by multiple clubs,” he said. “Both parties have put a marker down, so it seems to me it’s just about money now.”

That, of course, is where City usually find a way.

“Manchester City tend to find money from somewhere, don’t they?” Cole added. “Wherever they find it from, that’s down to the FA and everyone else to figure out!”

For Cole, the financial wrangling feels like a familiar backdrop to a move that, on the pitch, makes perfect sense.

One Rodri, two replacements?

Even with his admiration for Fernandez, Cole doesn’t pretend one signing alone can replicate what Rodri brought.

He underlined how the Spaniard’s tactical intelligence, positional sense and physical presence allowed him to dominate games almost single-handedly. Replacing that, he argued, is not a simple like‑for‑like job.

“But they tend to get their man, and he’s a great player,” Cole said of Fernandez. “I think he’s perfect for the job. Replacing Rodri, you need two players to do that, even two top quality players like [Elliot] Anderson and Fernandez.”

City, then, may not just be chasing one midfielder. Cole’s view is that it could take a blend of profiles to restore the balance Rodri provided on his own.

Still, he expects the headline move to happen.

“I personally believe that deal will get done,” he concluded, backing City to land Fernandez as the new fulcrum of a rebuilt midfield.