Enzo Fernandez: Three ways Man City could line up with £125m signing under Enzo Maresca

Manchester City have experienced a transformative summer in which they have spent over £400m on new players, with Enzo Fernández the crown jewel signed, sealed and delivered on Deadline Day.

The 25-year-old Argentina international has arrived from Chelsea for a whopping £125m, which represents a club-record signing for Man City and the joint most-expensive transfer in Premier League history along with Liverpool’s Alexander Isak.

Fernandez, who will wear the No.17 shirt at the Etihad Stadium, has reunited with his former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and is set to play an important role in a new-look midfield.

Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi are two more big-money signings made by Man City, who also have Mateo Kovacic, Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis who can operate in central midfield positions.

The burning question for Man City supporters is how Maresca can fit these pieces into the same jigsaw puzzle, striking the perfect balance to build a team capable of challenging for multiple trophies this season and beyond.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at three possible ways that Man City could line up with Fernandez in Maresca’s team.

Fernandez at Man City: The deep-lying orchestrator (4-2-3-1)

Described by director of football Hugo Viana as a “complete midfielder” Fernandez is more than capable of operating in a variety of different central positions, prioritising either defensive or attacking responsibilities.

The Argentine has the attributes to perform in a deep-lying midfield role where he has played at previous clubs Chelsea and Benfica, providing protection to a back four while also pulling the strings from the base of a double pivot.

At Man City, Fernandez could sit alongside Anderson, Bouaddi, Kovacic or even O’Reilly as a combative ball-winner, dictating the tempo of the game and spraying progressive passes into the final third.

In this role in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Fernandez would presumably venture forward less often and would be required to remain disciplined in his positioning to ensure City maintain total control over counter-attacks.

Fernandez at Man City: The dynamic No.8 (4-3-3)

Should Maresca give Fernandez the license to drift further forward and contribute more in an around the opposition’s penalty box, Fernandez could take up one of two No.8 positions in a three-man midfield as part of a 4-3-3 system.

While someone such as Anderson or Bouaddi operates in the deeper midfield position protecting the back four, Fernandez playing as a dynamic number eight alongside either Phil Foden or Rayan Cherki, for example, would allow the Argentine to showcase the full, box-to-box breadth of his diverse midfielder skillset.

He would be granted the freedom to transition seamlessly between helping out in the initial build-up phase, connecting the defensive line to the attack, and arriving late into advanced areas.

Fernandez’s high football IQ ensures he balances his forward bursts with hard-pressing defensive duties when City lose possession, and this would be even more essential if someone like Cherki - who notoriously tracks back less than some of his teammates - is playing alongside him.

Fernandez at Man City: The penalty box-crashing No.10 (4-2-3-1)

Towards the end of his three-year spell at Chelsea, Fernandez played regularly as an advanced midfielder or as a No.10, and became a consistent threat in the opposition’s penalty box, scoring 15 goals across all competitions last season.

Should he be positioned directly behind the striker (Erling Haaland) at Man City, his primary responsibility shifts from deep orchestration to creating and finishing high-value chances in and around the danger zone.

Fernandez would be required to utilises his sharp spatial awareness to exploit the gaps created by City's wingers stretching the opposition backline.

This position would also free the Argentine from focusing heavily on defensive tracking, letting him pinpoint his energy on lethal edge-of-the-box shooting and delicate through-balls.

However, Fernandez faces stern competition from playmakers Cherki and Foden to play regularly in this position, unless Maresca has a few tricks up his sleeve and introduces a system with two No.10s.