Fernandez eventually got his wish in the form of a £125 million deadline-day move to Manchester City, a fee that matched the British transfer record set by Liverpool's signing of Alexander Isak the previous summer, having earlier flirted with a move to Real Madrid. Chelsea held out for the maximum possible fee before sanctioning the sale, but the delay left them without a replacement in midfield after a late attempt to sign Monaco's Lamine Camara collapsed when the French club pulled out of the deal, a development that reportedly left Chelsea's hierarchy furious.
Vice-captain Fernandez felt he no longer had a relationship with his Chelsea teammates and submitted not one but two written transfer requests during the summer in his push to force through a move away from Stamford Bridge.
His time in west London had already been turbulent well before that. The club stood by him after he was filmed singing a racist chant about the French national team, and continued to give him game time last season despite what was widely seen as public disrespect towards the club. On the pitch, though, Chelsea made a healthy profit on the deal, and Fernandez was a key figure in the side that won the Club World Cup and the Conference League as one of the first major signings of the BlueCo ownership era.
His conduct stood in sharp contrast to that of Pedro Neto, who was recently rewarded with a new contract running until 2032 despite interest from Manchester City and the Saudi Pro League, choosing instead to fight for his place under Xabi Alonso and embrace a new role at wing-back.
Fernandez had also publicly criticised the club last season over its decision to let Enzo Maresca leave for Manchester City, saying he did not understand the reasoning behind sanctioning the Italian's exit.
"I don't understand it. Sometimes there are things that we as players don't understand, how and in what way they try to manage things," Fernandez said at the time. "Obviously, it was a departure that hurt us a lot, especially in the middle of the season, it cuts everything short. We had an identity.
"He gave us an order, even though, as is the way of football, sometimes it's good and bad. But he always had a very clear identity when it came to training and playing."
Fernandez and Maresca stayed in regular contact after the Italian's departure, a friendship that reportedly left Chelsea disappointed in their vice-captain during a difficult period both on and off the pitch, even though there is nothing against players staying in touch with former managers. Maresca made Fernandez his number one transfer target as City overhauled their midfield this summer, also bringing in Ayyoub Bouaddi and Elliot Anderson while allowing Rodri to leave for Barcelona.