Who is Nico Fernández?

Two weeks ago, New York City FC announced the signing of 25-year-old attacker Nicolás Ezequiel Fernández Mercau from Elche CF. The Argentine joins from the Spanish side on a Designated Player contract that runs through the 2029 season for an undisclosed transfer fee that’s rumored to be a record sale for Elche.

A quick Transfermarkt search will tell you that Elche’s current record sits at $8.4 million, meaning even the floor of this vague fee would serve as NYCFC’s third-largest signing to date behind Jovan Mijatović in 2024 ($10 million) and Alexandru Mitriță in 2019 ($8.8 million). But, theoretically, this fee could go well beyond that $8.4 million mark — and could be a record incoming transfer for NYCFC.

But who is this record-breaking player? Why do both clubs involved seem to rate him so highly? And what will he bring to an NYCFC side that’s desperate for attacking output?

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The Story of Nico Fernández Mercau (It’s weird)

“Nico,” as he’ll wear on his crisp new #7 shirt, has had a unique career to date. 

Born in Buenos Aires, he cut his teeth with San Lorenzo, a local club with 14 Argentine titles to their name, working his way through the academy ranks before signing with the first team at just 18 years of age. After making his debut in 2020, he went on to make 51 appearances for his boyhood club as an exciting, all-action…left back?

Yeah. NYCFC’s new big-money attacking DP grew up playing a very different role than he’ll likely inherit for Pascal Jansen. But more on that later.

Nico spent his time at San Lorenzo bombing up and down the left flank for “El Ciclón,” taking players on first and asking questions later. It didn’t take long for his dribbling skills and powerful left boot to start raising eyebrows internationally, with CFG’s mothership, Manchester City, taking an interest in the youngster way back in 2022.

But City missed their man initially, and Nico instead made the jump to La Liga’s Elche CF ahead of the 2022/23 season. However, that first year with Elche would be one doomed from the start. If scoring an own goal just nine minutes into your debut isn’t foreshadowing, I’m not sure what is.

Nico made 18 La Liga appearances that season, with only three of those coming as starts. He was still deployed as a deep-lying wide player that season, often subbing in at fullback, but also being utilized as a left midfielder in a 4-4-2, and as a wingback in a 3-5-2 or a 5-3-2. 

If you’re wondering why Elche rolled out so many different formations that year, it could have something to do with the fact that they employed SIX different head coaches that season. Between four permanent appointments and two interims, Elche’s board tried desperately to prevent the inevitable. But, an ugly 67 goals allowed later and with just 25 points earned on the season, Elche were met with a dead-last finish in La Liga and relegation to Spain’s second division.

Nico’s La Liga dream was probably dead before he could furnish his new apartment. But, while it may not have felt like it at the time, his drop to La Segunda served as Nico’s blessing in disguise.

Surviving head coach Sebastián Beccacece gave Nico chances he didn’t receive in the top flight, starting the Argentine in 39 matches that season, and most notably, deploying him further up the pitch. He went on to log over 3,200 minutes, starting games at left wing, right wing, and attacking midfield. He’d always had an attacking mindset in the way he played, but it wasn’t until Beccacece gave him this attacking freedom that Nico was able to display it unapologetically, without the same shackles of defensive responsibility.

His return that season was a modest 4 goals and 1 assist. Elche’s season on the whole was equally “meh”, finishing a bang-average 11th out of 22 Segunda sides. But if the old “eye test” was anything to go by, there were signs that Nico could bring something to this Elche attack.

The next season, under another new head coach in Eder Sarabia, Nico blossomed, finishing with a team-high 17 goal involvements in all competitions. Heavily involved in and out of possession, Nico played a huge role in earning his side promotion back to La Liga, just two seasons after their relegation.

If there was any doubt before, Nico was now officially an attacker, not just a fullback who liked to get forward. But, instead of testing out those attacking capabilities in the Spanish top flight, Fernández zagged once again in his career, joining NYCFC in their hopes of Eastern Conference playoff glory.

Now signing for his third club, in his third country, across four leagues, twelve managers, and seemingly countless positions, Fernández's career has been quite the journey already at just 25 years of age.

What Nico will bring to NYCFC

Nico plays the game like someone who tried every position. He’ll seek out the ball anywhere and everywhere, defends ferociously from the front, and when encountered by a defender, seems about as likely to pull out some Maradona-esque spin as he is to just leather it as far as he can to the opposite side winger. 

In La Liga 2 last year, his underlying metrics tell quite the tale, with Nico ranking above the 95th percentile in standard attacking categories like touches, chance creation, pass completion, and successful dribbles. But, the fullback in him hasn’t left his game either, putting up great numbers for ball recoveries, tackles won, and duels compared to other attackers in the league. 

A quick check of the highlight tape will tell you Nico can bring the wow factor as well. He’s scored some stunners along the way in his career, showing a willingness to strike from range and to have a go with both feet.

From a creation perspective, his assist catalog boasts an impressive collection of whipped crosses from wide areas, pinpoint set-piece deliveries, and mazy dribbles that created tap-ins for his teammates.

It’s a small sample size, yes. But for someone who hasn’t been playing high up the pitch for very long, he appears an impressively well-rounded attacker. 

How will Pascal Jansen use him?

Herein lies the million-dollar question. Where does this super-versatile attacking player fit within a Pascal Jansen system that’s equally adaptable? 

In his few months in charge, Jansen has rolled out a handful of different attacking looks already. Originally, we saw Maxi Moralez line up as a lone number 10 coupled with two traditional wingers. But as the season’s drawn on, we’ve also seen Jansen experiment with a box midfield, sporting two central attacking midfielders ahead of two holders, flanked still by two wide attackers.

Given his skill set, Nico could plausibly line up in any of those advanced positions: as a lone No 10, as part of an attacking midfield duo, or as a winger.

New York City FC | Designated Players

* Talles Magno is Currently on loan to SC Corinthians
** Alexandru Mitriță was on loan 2021-23
*** Maxi Moralez rejoined as a non-DP in 2023

But, the prevailing assumption is that Nico was signed as a No 10. After all, he’s the “Santi Rodríguez replacement,” stepping in for the attacker who left NYCFC this past February, and who had 18 goal involvements in 2024. “Attacking midfielder” is also the description we received from both David Lee and Nico Fernández himself through the club’s press releases, perhaps suggesting that’s the expectation from both camps coming in.

If this is the case, there might be an uncomfortable conversation to be had around Maxi Moralez, who’s been undroppable for Jansen. The 38-year-old started every MLS match this season for NYCFC, racking up 1700+ minutes at his No 10 role already in 2025 — the only game he missed was the US Open Cup loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and that was because he was serving a suspension that carried over from a 2022 game against the New York Red Bulls. There’s a world where Nico’s arrival marks the beginning of the end for NYCFC's unanimously adored club legend, with Jansen swapping Argentines to a 13-year-newer model. 

But Jansen’s refusal to drop his veteran so far this season could be telling. Elsewhere in the attack, we’ve seen the likes of Agustín Ojeda and Julián Fernández come and go from the starting lineup, with both getting yanked early from games this season by Jansen’s quick hand. But Maxi? He’s always out there.

So, perhaps Jansen’s solution lies in a system that includes both Maxi and Nico, either as dueling No 10s, or with Nico conceding the CAM role to his new team dad and starting his NYCFC career out wide.

All that said, we’re talking about Pascal Jansen here. He could just as easily wake up tomorrow and roll out an entirely new attacking system that leaves opposing coaches and journalists alike scrambling to decipher its secrets. And, with a player as versatile as Nico, Jansen could get pretty creative with this setup.

About that price tag…

This transfer marks a significant moment in David Lee’s NYCFC career. Already on thin ice with fans after a disappointing 2023 and a not-good-enough 2024, Lee took further criticism after selling Santi just days before the 2025 season. For supporters, the only saving grace was the $15 million fee (which could rise to $17 million if certain benchmarks are met) that NYCFC received from the sale, and the notion that those funds could be used to further improve the team.

With Nico’s huge transfer fee eating a significant chunk of that rebuilding money, there’s a lot of pressure on this transfer to stick the landing and justify Santi’s sale. But, with some of Lee’s recent big-money transfers, it’s becoming fair to question his hit rate, especially when it comes to identifying attacking talent.

Jovan Mijatović joined in 2024 for a reported $10m fee, but after just 12 MLS appearances and 262 minutes, the center forward was sent out on loan before he could register a league goal. Unless his reclamation project in Belgium hits an incredible turnaround, that transfer is looking like an all-time miss.

In 2021, Talles Magno was signed for $8m and was given a DP contract, only to find himself on a loan of his own to presumably salvage his transfer value after a turbulent time in NYC. There’s also Julian Fernández and Agustín Ojeda, who joined for about $5m each. That duo is, at least, still with the squad, but neither has been able to nail down their status as consistent starters, let alone the big-money stars they were signed to become. 

Whether by virtue of those expensive transfer misses, the cost of constructing Etihad Park, or just general apathy from CFG, Nico’s arrival comes in an unusually low period of spending for NYCFC, making his fee stick out even further.

Lee spent just $2.8m in transfer fees over the two previous windows, with NYCFC’s wage bill falling 19% since 2024. It ranked as the 24th-lowest of MLS’s 30 franchises by roster spending as of May.

For a side that hasn’t been spending very much to drop this sort of fee on a La Liga 2 player is, at least on the surface, quite the gamble. Given the transfer misses of the last few years, the perceived quality of La Liga 2, his relatively modest goal and assist output, and the small sample size of attacking minutes Nico has played, there’s plenty of room for skepticism on this one.

But Nico shouldn’t care about any of that. He has nothing to do with David Lee’s past misses. And he certainly didn’thave any say over the size of his “record sale” price tag to NYCFC. He’s just a dude who plays soccer for a living, and seems to be pretty darn good at it, no matter his difficult circumstances.

Whatever his price tag, whatever his position, and however strange his career that led him here, NYCFC will need Nico’sproduction straight away as they teeter above the playoff line in the East. For Nico, and for the sake of the fans, here’s to hoping he’s a hit.