Enzo Fernandez’s Man City shirt number confirmed as £125m signing fires parting shot at Chelsea

By Oliver Thomas | 02 Sep 2026 16:15, Last updated: 02 Sep 2026 16:18

Enzo Fernandez has taken an iconic garment fig astatine Manchester City pursuing confirmation of his record-breaking £125m transfer from Chelsea connected Deadline Day.

The 25-year-old midfielder has joined the Citizens connected a five-year declaration and has yet reunited with manager Enzo Maresca pursuing a drawn-out transportation saga implicit the summer.

Fernandez was the sixth and last first-team signing made by Man City aft Iliman Ndiaye - another Deadline Day arrival - Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Allan and Geronimo Rulli.

The Citizens person forked retired a whopping £440m connected caller players this summertime and Fernandez represents the biggest woody of them each – a club-record accomplishment astatine the Etihad Stadium and the associated most-expensive signing successful Premier League past on with Liverpool’s Alexander Isak.

Fernandez arrives astatine Man City arsenic a 2022 World Cup victor with Argentina who besides lifted the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup during his three-year spell astatine Chelsea.

The midfielder is present acceptable to statesman assistance successful a new-look Citizens broadside and is expected to play a cardinal portion successful helping Maresca’s broadside situation for trophies connected each fronts successful years to come.

Fernandez to travel successful De Bruyne’s footsteps with No.17 shirt

Seventeen. pic.twitter.com/Ik2lUBkDTV

Man City person present confirmed that Fernandez volition deterioration the No.17 shirt, which was famously worn by nine fable Kevin De Bruyne during his glorious 10-year trophy-laden vocation astatine the Etihad betwixt 2015 and 2025.

Widely regarded arsenic 1 of Man City’s greatest-ever players and 1 of the champion Premier League midfielders of each time, De Bruyne won 19 trophies during his clip successful Sky Blue, including six English top-flight titles and the Champions League arsenic portion of a historical treble successful 2022-23.

Prior to De Bruyne, Man City fans volition retrieve the likes of Sun Jihai and Martin Petrov donning the fig 17 shirt, which volition present beryllium printed connected the backmost of Fernandez’s shirt.

Fernandez has ne'er antecedently worn the No.17 successful his nine career, sporting fig 5 and past fig 8 astatine Chelsea having antecedently worn the fig 13 astatine Benfica, but helium has donned it connected the planetary signifier with Argentina.

"I chose the fig 17 due to the fact that it's a fig I like. It embodies me. It was my archetypal fig successful the nationalist team, truthful I've precise blessed to beryllium capable to take this number. Fernandez told Man City's authoritative media channels. 

Fernandez: “I ever dreamed of being astatine a nine arsenic large arsenic City”

Proper City ?? pic.twitter.com/TfRTZOnPrw

Fernandez bid an affectional farewell to Chelsea via a societal media post, but helium has since fired a parting changeable astatine the West Londoners aft stating that helium has ‘always dreamed of being astatine a nine arsenic large arsenic Man City.’

“I’m truly blessed to beryllium here,” helium told Man City’s authoritative media channels. “I ever dreamed of being astatine a nine arsenic large arsenic City.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s a precise affectional infinitesimal for maine and my family, to instrumentality this measurement astatine 25 years old, successful a shot vocation that I ever dreamed of.

“I’m truthful blessed to beryllium here, enjoying these archetypal fewer hours I’ve had astatine the club. I tin already spot conscionable however large it is and, we volition bask ourselves and triumph tons of things together.”

“I privation to convey them (Man City fans), convey them for the welcome,” helium added. “I’m honestly feeling astatine home, and that is precise important for a player’s confidence.”

Man City won 20 trophies successful 10 seasons nether legendary manager Pep Guardiola, and Fernandez wants to beryllium a large portion successful continuing that awesome occurrence nether Maresca.

“Manchester City person to triumph each trophy they vie for,” said the midfielder. “In each contention we play in, we person to vie and win, due to the fact that this club’s past demands that.

“To beryllium honest, from the archetypal time they believed successful maine and called maine to accidental they wanted maine to articulation the club, I didn’t hesitate for a second. It’s a nine that has won a batch successful caller years. It’s a nine that is making past successful shot and, for me, it’s a immense challenge.

“To beryllium capable to travel here, assistance the nine and support winning things together, that has been my extremity since they called me: to travel to this nine knowing we are going to triumph galore trophies together.”

Man City supporters could spot Fernandez with his caller No.17 garment for the archetypal clip connected Saturday if Maresca decides to manus the midfielder his debut successful the Premier League clash against Coventry City astatine the Etihad.